


Boys of Summer

by frantic65



Category: Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-02-22 06:24:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2497826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frantic65/pseuds/frantic65
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of one shots looking at that first Summer on the mountain, when Jack and Ennis fell in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Little Summertime Spice

The first time was definitely an accident. Jack was sure of it. They had both had a little too much that night. A little too much whiskey, a little too much time on their hands, and a little too much thinking on how the summer was almost over with no promises spoken or plans made for a life beyond the mountain that included a “them”. Jack was getting up the nerve to broach the subject that night because he had his eyes firmly fixed on the prize, and he had finally figured out that waiting for a sign from Ennis was like waiting for the Rapture, so he licked his lips and cleared his throat bravely.

“Umm…Ennis?” he ventured, nervously eyeing the man he hoped would become more than a one shot summer thing.

“Mmm…wassat, Jack?” came the lazy, drawled response. Ennis was sprawled on the ground before the fire, his back to a large log and his feet resting on one of the stones encircling the night fire. His face glowed slightly in the reflection of the flames, causing Jack to catch his breath at the sight, briefly losing his train of thought.

As the silence lengthened, Ennis shot Jack a quick glance, and may have been distracted himself as his gaze locked with his friend’s. “Jack?” he questioned hesitantly, not sure why he suddenly felt as though the air had thickened enough to make breathing difficult and black spots to dance briefly before his eyes. “What’s the matter?”

Jack shifted closer to Ennis and held the whiskey out to him. “Nothing’s wrong, friend,” he began, not yet breaking eye contact as their hands brushed together against the bottle.

“But, do ya ever want to try something different-take a chance?” Jack nodded earnestly, encouraging Ennis to agree with him, and flashing him an endearing smile.

“What a ya mean-different?” Ennis looked at Jack suspiciously, not quite sure if he liked the way this conversation was starting. His expression softened a little when he caught the almost wistful look on Jack’s face, but he had let himself be seduced by that boy’s charms more than once and so decided to tread carefully for the moment.

“Ya know, do something unexpected-maybe even risky?” Jack continued to smile as he spoke, even though the butterflies in his stomach were feeling more restless by the second. Jack knew that Ennis had a low tolerance for serious talks. He preferred his talks to be of a more physical nature. Not that Jack was complaining, but he needed to try to break through Ennis’ defenses tonight if he had any shot at the happiness he had been seeking his whole miserable life.

“Risky? What the hell are ya talking about Jack? Ya get kicked in the head by one of the horses?” Ennis bristled as he felt Jack trying to steer the conversation into a direction he sensed was leading somewhere he was afraid to head. Ennis was enjoying things just the way they were, and for the first time since his parents died, he felt that his world was no longer dangerously tilting and keeping him off balance. He was steadfastly ignoring that tiny voice that kept trying to tell him that the seasons must change and this time on the mountain with his best friend, Jack, would inevitably come to an end. So, the more cornered he felt, the more he was going to lash out in an effort to keep that voice smothered for just a little longer.

Jack was silent for a moment, he knew the drill well by now, and he knew that pushing for a serious talk with Ennis already reacting defensively was bound to lead to an argument, and that was not on his agenda for the night. So, he chuckled a little and shrugged his shoulders, and decided to change his tactics in a strategy that could pay off quite well for both of them, and maybe even chip away at the Del Mar wall a little bit more.

“Now hold on Ennis, don’t go getting all bent out of shape on me. I mean, I like to rodeo, it’s exciting and dangerous and unpredictable-and those things can really add some spice to a man’s life, ya know. All I meant was, did ya ever want to take something you’ve done a hundred times before and mix it up a little? Maybe take it to a place you’ve never been before?” as he finished speaking, Jack closed the distance between them and put his arm across Ennis’ shoulders, leaning his head in next to Ennis’ with a quick nuzzle.

Ennis immediately relaxed as he recognized the start of a familiar ritual and turned his head towards Jack’s embrace. He allowed himself to consider Jack’s question for a moment, even as he felt a spark of passion flicker deep within him. “Maybe I did when I was younger, but I don’t have no time to look for spice when I can’t hardly afford bread.” He murmured this into Jack’s hair with a sad smile and a sigh that ruffled Jack’s hair and caused him to shiver slightly.

“Well then today is your lucky day friend, because I happen to have some spice right here that I will share with ya absolutely free!” Jack briefly tightened his hold on Ennis’ shoulders and turned his face to give him a brief kiss, before jumping up quickly and heading away from the campfire.

Ennis blinked, startled by Jack’s sudden movement and abrupt change of mood. He also wanted a chance to return that kiss. “What the hell…..” Ennis started to mumble under his breath, “…crazy rodeo fuck up!”

As he started to rise to his feet to follow, he heard Jack yell over to him, “Stay right there and don’t move!” Jack was well beyond the reach of the firelight and Ennis squinted over in the direction of his voice to try to see what the hell he was up to over there. “I mean it Ennis-don’t get up!” Jack actually put a little growl into the command, and Ennis surprised himself by settling back down quickly, trying to decide whether he was gonna wrestle Jack to the ground when he came back or whether he was gonna let that tingle in his spine at Jack’s tone see how things played out a bit before he pounced. Either way, Ennis was pretty sure that Jack Twist was gonna get fucked sooner than later tonight. He smiled a little at that last thought and stretched his arms over his head as he started to lean back slightly.

Suddenly, his wrists were circled by what felt like rope-a lariat maybe, which was quickly knotted, completely tying his hands together. Too startled to do more than grunt with surprise at first, Ennis found himself flat on his back and unable to free himself. Jack apparently took advantage of the element of surprise and deftly tied the other end of the rope to a nearby tree trunk, neatly making Ennis his prisoner.

“Now Ennis, hold on just a second before ya blow a gasket.” Jack spoke as quickly and as calmly as possible seeing how Ennis was very close to regaining his power of speech, and Jack was pretty sure that those much desired words of love and commitment were not what was getting ready to flow from his mouth. “Ya know I would never do anything to hurt ya, so just give me a moment to explain.” Ennis opened his mouth and it appeared that Jack’s plea was going to be ignored, but he satisfied himself with what he hoped was a ferocious glare instead.

“Ya know we have a good time together. Ain’t never had any complaints in that area have ya?” Jack smirked at Ennis and raised his eyebrows a bit. Ennis continued glaring, but Jack noticed he stopped struggling with the ropes above his head and gave what may have been a slight nod of agreement. It was enough encouragement for Jack, who walked a little closer to Ennis, still staying clear of his legs for the moment. Jack leaned over near Ennis’ face and put one hand gently on each cheek, using his fingers to lightly stroke Ennis’ face. “So, I was just thinking that maybe we could try something new tonight, something a little bit different. There’s no one here but us, and if we don’t like it, we don’t have to ever do this again. But Ennis…” at this point Jack deliberately lowered his voice and just touched his lips against Ennis’, “Let me be in charge for now, and I swear I’ll make ya feel so good, you’ll forget your own damn name by the time we’re done here.” Jack was whispering against Ennis’ lips as he finished speaking, and Ennis’ skin was nicely flushed, both from the anger that slowly ebbed from him as Jack spoke, and the smoldering passion that was replacing it, putting a slight glow in his brown eyes.

“Please Ennis, don’t fight me on this. I promise I won’t hurt ya.” Jack lifted his own eyes to Ennis’ and whatever was there caused Ennis to close his eyes briefly and take a deep breath. As he let his breath out in a long sigh, Ennis opened his eyes and finally spoke, “Alright Jack, ya never give me a reason not to trust ya, so I’ll play along for now.” And then he smiled softly and arched his neck towards Jack searching for some further reassurance in the form of a kiss. Jack, still lightly cupping Ennis’ face, brought his lips back down to gently join their mouths and seal the agreement. “Thank you,” he whispered and snaked his tongue out to lick Ennis’ lower lip.

“Now, I can get those ropes off quick if need be, so make sure ya tell me right away if your hands get numb or ya have any pain up there near those knots, ‘kay boy?” as he was speaking Jack moved away slightly and began toeing off his boots. He quickly walked back over as Ennis frowned slightly and replied, “Yeah, alright,” and Jack ran a hand slowly from Ennis’ stomach to his chest, softly saying, “Trust me, Ennis.”

When Jack was satisfied that Ennis was okay, he turned away and threw a few more logs on the fire to ensure that it wouldn’t die down and leave them naked and cold at an inopportune moment. Jack felt Ennis’ eyes on him the whole time and for just a second, he let doubt cloud his mind. “Shit Jack, I hope ya know what the fuck you’re doin’ here, or else ya have crossed one hell of a line on a whim!” Jack firmly pushed that thought aside and concentrated instead on turning back to Ennis with what he hoped was a seductive smile, and sauntered back over to him.

“Now Ennis Del Mar, let’s have ourselves a real good time tonight.” As he finished speaking, Jack threw his right leg over Ennis’ body, sinking down until he was straddling Ennis’ hips, and he pushed down slightly with his pelvis in a gentle grind. His smile widened as he felt Ennis’ erection pulse back at him and heard Ennis catch his breath. Jack leaned forward and placed his hands on the ground on either side of Ennis’ face. As he bent closer to Ennis’ mouth, he gave another grind of his hips, causing Ennis to buck up a bit in answer. Jack claimed Ennis’ lips in a firm kiss, pushing his tongue roughly inside as Ennis opened his mouth and groaned softly. The kiss deepened and this time Jack added his own groan to Ennis’. Their tongues met and wrestled for dominance, but in truth, neither man worried over who would win. All they knew was that familiar fire was being stoked and both were eager to be consumed by these particular flames.

Breaking away breathlessly, Jack licked his lips and began to pull Ennis’ shirt from the waistband of his jeans. As soon as it was free, Jack pushed his hands beneath the shirt and smoothed his way up Ennis’ chest, stopping to lightly stroke Ennis’ nipples. Ennis twisted his imprisoned arms and growled quietly in frustration, but when Jack glanced up at his face, he saw his eyes were starting to glaze over in passion, even as he struggled with those bonds that held him fast. Jack was pretty sure that his own eyes were telling a story of their own, and he bit his lip lightly as he felt a sudden surge of desire upon seeing Ennis helpless and bound before him. Quickly, and with fingers trembling just a little, Jack unbuttoned Ennis’ shirt completely and pushed it open. Jack began to stroke Ennis’ now naked chest in earnest, pausing to firmly pinch his nipples, following the trail of his hands with his tongue, holding on tight as Ennis began arching his body up into the sensations.

“Jack….Oh God…..Jack,” Ennis moaned as he watched Jack pause to suck at each nipple and then gently blow on the wet, highly sensitive nubs. Jack continued to lick his way up from Ennis’ chest, pausing where shoulder meets neck to hungrily suck on what he knew was one of Ennis’ trigger spots. In the past, Ennis would only let Jack briefly explore his erotic zones, afraid to release too much control to the other man when it came to sex. Tonight, however, Jack was firmly in control, and as he felt him suckling at his neck, marking him, Ennis realized they had reached a crossroads in their young relationship, and he was suddenly afraid for what that meant when summer reached its inevitable end.

Jack continued to bite, lick, and kiss his way from one side of Ennis’ neck to the other, unaware that his lover was not only riding the waves of passion with him, but coming dangerously close to washing up on the shores of the fears that could cause all of Jack’s dreams to turn to so much dust. And so, as Jack paused to look up at Ennis, he caught an expression he had never seen before on Ennis’ face, one he could not at that time label, but as Ennis whispered hoarsely, “Kiss me, Jack,” he happily complied and gave it no further thought.

As their kiss turned urgent and sloppily wet, Jack realized they were both still wearing way too many clothes and decided to tackle that little issue pronto. Suddenly aware that while their groins were still joined in a sliding search for friction, the restriction of his jeans had made his erection painful and distracting. Jack quickly pulled them off and tossed them aside. He breathed a sigh of relief as his cock jutted free, and he heard Ennis’ harsh intake of breath as his attention was caught by Jack’s erection.

Intending to relieve Ennis of his jeans just as quickly, Jack paused when he saw Ennis eyeing his cock and playfully gave himself a stroke. “See something you like?” Ennis clenched his teeth and groaned, “Please…Jack…touch me!” and he tugged lightly on the rope as he continued to stare at Jack slowly fondling his erection. Jack felt his control slipping, both from Ennis’ obvious state of arousal and the rare words of need that fell from his lips.

All thoughts of teasing fled from Jack’s mind as he unfastened and slid Ennis’ jeans down his body, pausing as they bunched up on his boots. Ennis kicked his feet impatiently trying to force them off. “Hold on a second, Ennis,” Jack soothed, grabbing the boots and pulling them off as quickly as his shaking hands could manage. He sat back on his heels for a moment, eyes taking in the view now spread before him. Ennis was totally naked save for the shirt that was hanging off his shoulders where Jack had left it after feasting on his neck, several red marks visible even in the pale glow of the fire. Jack’s gaze slid from Ennis’ neck to his chest, then to his hard, dripping cock, before returning his fevered stare to Ennis’ face, meeting his eyes and swallowing hard. “Jesus Christ, Ennis…..you are a sight.” Afraid that his next words would be those of love, Jack moved to Ennis’ side and lined his body up on top of Ennis’ pressing against him from head to toe, both of his hands twining through Ennis’ trapped ones, his tongue once again licking a path from neck to mouth, the volume of their moans rising with the heat of their passion.

As they ground their cocks together, the slick helped smooth their movements, and Jack reached one hand between them to grasp and stroke their erections together. The intensity of feeling caused Jack to shudder and Ennis threw his head back as his eyes rolled briefly in response. Incoherent sounds and panting filled the cool night air, and as Jack continued to increase the speed of his strokes, he felt a familiar tightness begin to unfurl from deep inside that signaled his orgasm was fast approaching. “Ennis,” he managed to gasp as he tangled his free hand within Ennis’ blond curls, “I’m not gonna last!” and as he began to shoot, he felt Ennis’ body tense for a moment before he too cried out, and Jack felt the heat splash over his hand coating their stomachs with their release. The musky scent of their combined spunk filled the air, and as they continued to tremble and moan into each others mouths, Jack thought it was the best smell in the world.

As he finally pulled his mouth from Ennis’ and gulped in the fresh mountain air, Jack heard Ennis give a small sound of discomfort. Jumping up as he remembered the ropes, Jack quickly untied Ennis’ hands and gently rubbed them between his own, peering down in the dim firelight to see if there were any cuts or abrasions from the rough twine. Satisfied that no serious damage had been done, Jack pressed a kiss into each wrist, and then helped Ennis lower his arms to his sides.

Ennis sat there for a moment flexing his arms to encourage the blood flow back into his hands, and then looked over at Jack, his expression hidden in the shadows. Jack felt a moment of apprehension, unsure if he had misread Ennis’ reaction to the night’s events, but then Ennis snaked his newly liberated arms toward Jack and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders, pulling him into a rough embrace. “Jack Twist, you’re one crazy sumbitch, and if ya ever pull a stunt like that on me again, I will put ya over my knee and spank your ass until it’s as red as a fire engine.”

“I’m sorry Ennis, I just thought…ya mean you didn’t like what just happened?” Jack was confused by Ennis’ apparent change of mood, and even more concerned that the thought of a spanking made his cock twitch just a little with interest.

“Well now I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Ennis said darkly as he tightened their embrace, “its pretty obvious by the mess and the noise we made that we both got off real good just now, ain’t it?” He nodded his head toward their sticky stomachs and perspiring bodies. “Its just next time, let’s plan it together, ok?” He leaned over and pressed his lips to Jack’s sweaty forehead.  
“Yeah, alright Ennis,” Jack said slowly, smiling a little as he realized that Ennis had just as good as promised there would be a next time. “Maybe next time I can stand ya up and tie you to a tree, or tie your hands and feet together and…”

Jack suddenly found his words cut off by a rough kiss, and he broke away with a breathless laugh as he headed toward the kettle of warm water they kept next to the fire for cleaning up purposes. “Oh alright Ennis, at least now I know that ya do like a little spice in your life, don’t ya?” and he threw the warm, wet cloth on Ennis’ stomach.

Ennis looked over at Jack, standing next to the dying embers of the fire, his body in profile as he bent over washing himself up. He wondered, not for the last time that summer, what would happen come September when it was time to bring those damn sheep down off Brokeback Mountain. He gazed up at the clear night sky and wished he would be able to find the strength to say goodbye when that time came. Jack followed his lover’s gaze and made a wish of his own; he knew that if given the chance they could have such a sweet life.


	2. In the Meadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A slice of daily life on the mountain during their first summer together. Jack is focused on keeping them together past September, and Ennis is struggling with all his usual demons.

Sitting on a flat rock overlooking the meadow where the sheep were presently grazing, Jack stretched his legs out before him, laid back with his head pillowed on folded arms, & contemplated the puffy clouds in the bright blue sky. As a child in Lightning Flat, Jack would often spend long afternoons the same way, often with the tears from a recent beating still drying on his face, and the bruises on his heart bleeding into his soul. Today, however, he was searching the Wyoming sky for the answer to a mystery that had quickly consumed his entire universe....."Ennis Del Mar". Jack sighed the name as he exhaled and absently chewed on a piece of grass. Stuck on Brokeback Mountain for one endless summer, watching over stupid, smelly sheep, he and Ennis had become best friends and more recently and problematically.....lovers. 

Now, Jack wasn't real educated, but he wasn't stupid neither, and he knew that back in civilization, men were beaten and killed every damn day for even being rumored to have looked at other men in a sexual way, let alone shacking up together like Jack wanted to do with Ennis. See, Jack wasn't dumb, no sirree, but Jack was a dreamer, and even his mean as a snake Daddy hadn't been able to beat the dreamer out of him, no matter how many times he tried. Now, Jack had an actual fucking reason to hold on to those dreams, and he laughed out loud in delight as he imagined how happy he and Ennis would be. 

"Jack, are you fucking crazy? What the hell are you laying there laughing at?" Ennis reined his horse in as he rode up beside Jack, although a slight twinkle in his eyes belied the gruffness of his comment. 

"Well, friend, I was just lying here minding my own business when it occurred to me...." Jack let his voice trail to a stop as he rose from the ground and slowly dusted himself off. 

"Whut? Ya been in the sun too long or sumthin'?" Ennis was looking at him curiously now, and Jack fought to keep a straight face, amused at how easily he had piqued Ennis' interest. 

"Naw...no sun stroke shit or nothin' like that! I was just thinkin' on how pretty my boyfriend is and dreamin' about ya is all!" Jack tensed his muscles slightly, ready to run like hell when Ennis processed what he had just said to him. 

Dead silence. Ennis squinted down at Jack, open-mouthed, and Jack squinted right back up at him wearing the smile of one of God's own angels. Suddenly, Ennis scowled and started to dismount quickly, "Jack Twist, did ya just call me yer fucking boyfriend!" Jack glanced to his right to make sure his escape route was clear and then boldly locked glances with a now red-faced Ennis. "Not exactly....I called you pretty too!" and with that Jack took off like a rabbit, knowing full well that said pretty boyfriend would be giving chase. Jack darted toward a copse of trees not too far away, wanting to be well clear of sheep shit when he let Ennis catch him. 

Laughing breathlessly, Jack took a quick peek over his shoulder to see how close his lover was. "Oh Shit," Jack yelped as he realized he had miscalculated slightly. He had assumed Ennis would pursue him on foot, but as his widening eyes showed him, Ennis had chosen to jump back into the saddle and run him down on horseback instead. Now, there weren't many sights on God's Green Earth as wondrous as Ennis Del Mar riding a horse, but Ennis Del Mar, mad as a wet hen, thundering towards you full-throttle, veered into a terrifying sight. 

Jack eyed the trees he had targeted, which had seemed so close a second ago, and realized that Ennis had plenty of open space in which to overtake him and....."And what, you stupid shit," Jack thought as he heard hooves thundering up alongside him, " Ennis knows you were just teasing him, right?" Jack's last thought before his feet left the ground was remembering how his Momma always told him his smart mouth would get him in as much trouble as poking a wasp's nest with a stick. He hoped his Momma had been saying a few extra prayers to the Pentecost for him as he landed ass backwards in front of Ennis on the saddle. "Jesus Christ, Ennis don't fuckin' drop me!" Jack instinctively wrapped his arms around Ennis' waist as he struggled for his balance.

Ennis let out a snort as he steered his horse away from the sheltering trees and allowed himself a slight nuzzle to the side of Jack's neck, inhaling the earthy, slightly sweaty scent of his lover. Although Ennis was not able to verbalize his reactions to this man, even to himself, his cock had taken notice as soon as Jack took flight, and Ennis' arousal had only increased now that his prey was safely in his arms. Now, Ennis had been a little annoyed at Jack for calling him pretty, Jesus, but he secretly liked the fact that Jack thought of him as his boyfriend. He knew if his Daddy were still alive, he & Jack would a been as good as dead by now, probably by his Daddy's own hands, but the part of his brain that knew these cold, hard truths seemed to short-circuit whenever Jack pressed up against him. At this moment, the jostling trot of his horse, had Jack' s very interested cock rubbing tightly against Ennis' own rock hard erection. Ennis groaned lightly as Jack swiveled in the saddle, trying to see where they were heading. Ennis had originally intended to find a nice open spot in the meadow to wrestle Jack to the ground until he took back what he said and cried "uncle", but all thoughts of some rough and tumble horseplay had quickly headed south, right about where all his blood seemed to have gathered into one massive hard-on.

Seeing that Ennis continued to slow them down, drawing closer to the small cleared area where the sheep tender would normally set up his tent each night, Jack turned back around to face Ennis and suddenly found a tongue thrust into his mouth and a rough hand pressed against the nape of his neck. Jack stiffened in surprise but recovered quickly to eagerly match Ennis' force. When his lungs felt as though they were ready to explode, he broke away briefly to search Ennis' face, unsure of his mood. Their nearness allowed him to gaze deeply into the now familiar warm brown eyes that met his with an expression contained within that Jack just knew promised them a lifetime of passion. He raised his hand to cup his lover's jaw and gently stroke his cheek as he leaned forward to join their lips again...and smashed his nose roughly into Ennis' as the horse shifted restlessly beneath the extra weight. 

"Ow!" Jack laughed and rubbed his nose, "How 'bout we trade one ride for another here, cowboy?" Jack winked suggestively as he clumsily dismounted and smiled up enticingly at Ennis. Ennis shifted uncomfortably in the saddle and followed Jack to the ground, grabbing hold of Jack's biceps and pulling him up close as though afraid Jack would run off again.

"C'mere boy, we got a few things to discuss." and with that Ennis released Jack's arms and grabbed his ass with both hands, making sure their cocks were lined up and grinding roughly together.

"Ya wanna talk now??" Jack gasped and groaned at the same time, his attention split between the large hands kneading his ass and the equally large erection poking into his painfully hard member.

"Naw, I'm just shittin' ya, Jack Twist." Ennis growled with a predatory gleam in his eyes, "I wanna fuck ya so hard ya shoot your load right in my mouth. Sound good to you?"

Jack, who was not often at a loss for words, stared in disbelief at his normally reticent lover, but quickly recovered enough to shoot him a hungry gaze of his own and lick his lips invitingly. "Boy, I am gonna give you the ride of your life!" Jack shoved Ennis down to the ground and quickly followed, swooping down on Ennis' mouth as soon as they both hit the ground. Their tongues tangled deeply within their mouths and their hands busily roamed each others bodies, stroking, pinching, and fondling with increasing fervor. They made quick work of their clothes, breaking contact briefly to remove boots & jeans, but immediately coming together again, each moaning into the other's mouth as their naked body's slid together, fitting together like some erotic jigsaw puzzle, the heat between them rising as it had from their first frantic coupling.

Jack sat up and locked his arms in place on Ennis' chest, bouncing their pelvis' together and causing them both to shudder and shake as they each felt the slick from their cocks dripping between them. Ennis reached up and stuck two fingers in Jack's mouth, silently urging him to suck on them until they too were dripping wet and ready to be used to ease the way. Jack complied greedily being sure to nip and pull at those fingers with his teeth, letting Ennis know that hard and fast was what he wanted this time. Ennis pulled his fingers loose and Jack lifted his ass from Ennis' groin to allow full access. As Ennis roughly thrust his fingers into Jack's hole, Jack slid down and bounced, grunting as Ennis' fingers found their way deep within him, searching for Jack's gland and stretching him out. Ennis curled his fingers slightly and bit his lips and closed his eyes as he found what he was looking for, and Jack cursed and ground out, "Jesus Christ, right there Ennis, now take 'em out and stick your dick in there 'fore I shoot!"

Ennis knew how to follow directions, so in short order, his fingers were linked with Jack's on his chest, and his cock had found temporary shelter in Jack's ass. As Jack pushed down, Ennis thrust upwards, and they were both soon grunting and gasping, covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Their fingers were tightly interlocked, hard enough that their arms were shaking from the pressure each was applying. Their gazes stayed locked as well, their expressions saying things they would probably never say out loud. And suddenly, they each threw back their heads and shouted, their orgasms causing their joined bodie's to arch away from each other even as their souls pressed together somewhere in the universe. Swearing and panting, Jack collapsed on Ennis' chest in a sweaty heap, Ennis freeing his hands so he could hug Jack tightly to his body. "Holy Shit!" Jack panted out finally, "Now tell me that wasn't the ride of your life Ennis Del Mar." Jack drew back slightly trying to gauge Ennis' reaction. Ennis had a bemused look on his face and a suspicious gleam in his eyes, but he managed to mutter, "Least ya could do after callin' me pretty, dumbass!"

"Yeah" Jack smiled brightly down at his lover, "I was way out a line to call you pretty......everyone knows that Ennis Del Mar is lovely as a spring day!" and he quickly jumped up, laughing loudly, as Ennis threw his head back onto the ground and growled, "Jack...I swear..!"  



	3. Suppertime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suppertime on the mountain and there's more than one hunger to be sated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly a PWP chapter.

Jack shivered and pulled his jacket more tightly around him as he squinted up at a sky that had suddenly turned gray and cloudy. The warm summer sun that had made the creek water sparkle as it flowed steadily on its journey down the mountain had disappeared, and Jack felt a sudden flash of dread as a cold wind began to blow. He turned to look toward the high meadow where the sheep were grazing placidly, his eyes scanning the sweeping vista, searching for any sign of Ennis, but he knew from this distance it would be difficult to view him as anything other than a spot of brown among the dirty white of the sheep, and the green of the meadow grasses.

Although only late July according to the calendar, and surely much more seasonally warm back in civilization, at this elevation, Jack knew that the weather was fickle and could change from one season to the next with very little warning. It was a sobering reminder that summer’s idyllic illusions inevitably gave way to the harsh realities of winter’s bitterness.

Try as he might, Jack’s efforts to draw Ennis into a conversation that would address the issue of what would happen when the autumn pallet of colors began to paint the trees had been met with resolute, frustrating avoidance. And as a light drizzle began to fall upon the mountain, Jack felt his mood darken as though an endless night had fallen.  
Two weeks into this fragile relationship with his quiet ranch hand, and Jack was hopelessly smitten, and totally clueless as to how to lock the other half of his soul into place.

Jack’s momma had had an hourglass she used in her kitchen to keep time while cooking, and as a child Jack had found the grains of sand slipping from top to bottom to be a fascinating way to pass the lonely hours. Now, he imagined the amount of time left to them on the mountain could be measured the same way, and his thoughts grew more desperate as he realized that no matter how large the hourglass was, there was no way to stop the flow of sand once gravity took hold.

“Hey Jack, ya plannin’ on cookin’ supper tonight, or should I start huntin’ down some grubs and bugs from under the rocks and logs?” Jack started, so deep in his dark thoughts he hadn’t heard Ennis enter camp and dismount.

Ennis was striding towards him, the smirk on his face telling Jack he wasn’t really upset with him. As a matter of fact, although Jack had been distracted, he knew that Ennis had showed up a few hours earlier then their usual supper time. For some reason, this lightened Jack’s somber mood considerably.

“Well, hey there Ennis,” Jack smirked right back with an added wink, “I was just gettin’ ready to scare up some creepy crawlers to make a special supper just for you. Ya want extra juicy worms or crunchy beetles?”  
Ennis frowned at him for a moment before that rarely seen wide smile broke over his face, looking to Jack like the sun breaking through the dank, dismal day. “Dumbass,” Ennis choked out, his brown-eyed gaze clear and open with affection for his dark haired friend. “I was hoping to spend a little extra time with ya today since I’ll have to be heading back up to pasture early to beat out this weather that’s a brewing up.” At this, Ennis dropped his gaze shyly, unnerved to have spoken so frankly of his desire to be with Jack.

Although he and Jack had not yet touched, the air thickened and swirled between them, causing each man to catch his breath and sway toward the other. Responding to the unexpected overture Ennis had made with his declaration of need, Jack quickly closed the distance, brushing aside his earlier gloomy thoughts in light of this small crack in Ennis’ usual reserve. He stopped so closely his breath caused Ennis’ hair to stir gently. “Why Ennis Del Mar, I believe that is the nicest thing ya ever said to me!” He leaned in further, tipped Ennis’ hat back, and pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss.

Ennis broke the kiss before it could deepen any further and glanced furtively around camp, as though expecting a crowd of disapproving people to have suddenly materialized out of thin air. Jack bit his lip in frustration, but remained silent, knowing that Ennis’ inhibitions were not deliberate, but rather a product of his environment. The same environment that Jack was raised in… the difference being that Jack didn’t give a fuck and besides, who the hell would be out here in the middle of nowhere watching what a pair of deuces like them were up to; some pervert with binoculars?

“C’mere,” Jack crooned softly, cradling Ennis’ face and pulling him slowly back into an embrace. “No one here but us Ennis. C’mon, let’s go in the tent…get out of this rain.” And with that, he grabbed Ennis by the hand and pulled him slowly, but steadily, toward the shelter.

When they were both inside, Jack turned around and placed his hands on Ennis’ shoulders, pressing him to his knees and following right along. He reached over and removed Ennis’ hat, tossing it gently to the side. He brushed the slightly damp curls off Ennis’ forehead, all the while trying to make eye contact with his still skittish lover.

“C’mere,” Jack urged again, finally putting a finger beneath Ennis’ chin, forcing him to meet Jack’s eyes. Jack felt a familiar jolt of energy as their gazes locked, but he still sensed that Ennis was holding back. Now, shyness was not one of Jack’s traits, but determination was, and Jack was determined to convince Ennis before the summer was through, that the connection between them was something not often found in a crazy, fucked up world, rather it was special, even though many considered it abnormal.

Jack also sensed an unusual stillness settling down upon Ennis, as close to peaceful as Jack had ever seen him, and it caused Jack to catch his breath fiercely as he realized that Ennis was offering to let Jack take the reins this time, and lead the way. Like many of life’s best gifts, it was sudden and unexpected.

 

His mouth suddenly feeling dry as dust, Jack swallowed twice before clearing his throat and attempting to speak. “Y’know I’m real glad ya come down early today……real glad Ennis.” As he spoke, Jack moved his face closer to Ennis’, and as his voice dropped down to a husky whisper, he nuzzled into Ennis’ neck, breathing in the fine musky sweet smell. Ennis shuddered and pressed his neck more firmly against Jack’s mouth, and Jack turned his face ever so slightly, and licked his way up from pulse point to ear, ending with a sharp nip to Ennis’ earlobe.

Jack slid his mouth around towards Ennis’ cheek, leaving a wet trail as he approached Ennis’ lips, and suddenly his entire body trembled as with a fever, and he crushed those lips beneath his, moaning into Ennis’ mouth, and roughly clutching at Ennis’ shoulders.

When Jack felt his lungs burning from lack of oxygen, he finally broke away, panting heavily, as though he had just run a race. He was suddenly unsure if he had read Ennis’ intentions correctly, and pulled back to study Ennis’ expression. Ennis, red-faced and equally breathless, opened his eyes when he felt Jack’s slight withdrawal, his eyes reflecting a mixture of confusion, desire….and a trust that caused Jack a moment of pure panic, until he realized that this man was everything he had ever wished for, and he wanted nothing more than the chance to take a lifetime to prove to him that his trust was not misplaced.

With just the merest shadow of a smile, Jack stayed focused on Ennis’ face, and slowly pressed down on his shoulders, guiding him to the soft bedroll beneath them. Jack followed the path of Ennis’ body, lying lightly on top of him, feeling their arousals line up perfectly as Ennis arched upward in restless passion, breathing Jack’s name as he moved. 

Jack raised himself up on one arm, reaching between them to fumble with belt buckles and zippers, all the while sucking, licking, and gently nibbling on Ennis’ bottom lip. Finally teasing his way inside with his tongue, he succeeded in freeing their dripping erections from their jeans. Jack continued to shimmy his way completely free from his jeans, than urged Ennis to lift his hips as he quickly stripped his off as well. Their tongues continued to heatedly caress each other; grunts, groans, and sighs the only sounds to be heard as they continued to rut together with growing urgency. Jack broke his mouth away suddenly as he felt his balls begin to tighten in ecstasy. He squeezed the base of his cock to try to stem the orgasm that had drawn dangerously close.

Ennis grabbed Jack’s free hand and began sucking frantically on his fingers, leaving Jack with no doubt that this time, Ennis was giving permission for Jack to top him. Achingly aware of the significance of this unexpected surrender, Jack knelt between Ennis’ outstretched legs and engulfed his cock deeply within his mouth, glancing up as Ennis bit down lightly on his hand and drew his legs further back, exposing his puckered hole in a wanton invitation. Jack slowly removed his hand from Ennis’ mouth, pausing to add some balm they kept in the tent for just such occasions, and as he started to reach towards Ennis’ ass, he stopped, and released Ennis’ cock from his mouth.

Ennis strained his neck trying to see why Jack had abandoned his hard and dripping erection, only to slam his head back on the bedroll and moan loudly as Jack’s tongue began to circle his hole, teasingly at first, then with more vigor as Ennis’ vocal approval became louder and more frantic. Ennis’ swollen cock slapped against his stomach as Jack pointed his tongue and entered Ennis’ hole as deeply as he could. As he felt the entrance begin to loosen, Jack added one of his slicked up fingers and began to stretch Ennis’ hole.

Jack had only penetrated Ennis once in their short relationship, and nerves and inexperience on both their parts had made that a less than stellar experience for Ennis. This time, Jack was leaving nothing to chance, and as he added a second, then a third digit to Ennis’ hole, he made sure he scissored his fingers and massaged Ennis’ gland firmly, stroking himself as Ennis continued to pant and tremble with excitement.

“Jesus Ennis…. Are ya ready for me? If I wait another minute here I’m gonna shoot in my hand instead of your sweet ass!!” Jack thought his dick could give a fucking hammer a run for its money by this point.

“C’mon Jack…..need ya…inside…my goddamn eyes are crossing up here! Fuck me already!” Ennis reached down and grabbed his engorged cock, stroking feverishly, biting his lip so hard he drew blood.

Jack withdrew his fingers and immediately nudged his cock at the entrance to Ennis’ hole. “No need to fuckin’ knock…..just come on in goddammit!” Ennis pulled his legs back, than with a sudden forward motion tried to speed entry along. Jack didn’t need to be told twice, he pushed past the first ring of muscle, grunting as his cock was sheathed in Ennis’ heated passage.

“Oh my God…so fuckin’ tight.” Jack was shaking as he slid in further until finally his balls slapped up against Ennis’ writhing body. “Whoa there, cowboy…just stay still for a second or this’ll be all over boy!” Jack concentrated on slowing his breathing and pushing his orgasm back, wanting this connection between them to last forever. When he felt he had a tentative hold on his control once more, Jack pulled back and thrust forward fast and hard, causing a matched set of groans to echo within the tent. Finding his rhythm and beginning to thrust steadily, Jack grabbed Ennis’ legs and threw them over his shoulders, bending forward until he could reach Ennis’ mouth allowing their tongues to tangle wetly, teeth clicking as they panted together in rising passion.

Jack felt a tightening of muscles throughout his entire lower body and he knew that he could hold out no longer. As his thrusting became uneven he shifted the angle slightly, and began to hit Ennis’ gland with every stroke. Ennis shuddered quietly, and shot his load against their joined stomachs, the heat sliding sensuously between them, the musky scent filling the tent and pushing Jack over the edge in a curiously gentle, but quite intense orgasm of his own. Time seemed to freeze as they remained locked in their lover’s embrace, and Jack pictured that hourglass with its sands temporarily paused, but he knew it was only his imagination, and nothing could stop things from progressing along their fated path.

As his cock softened, and slipped out of Ennis’ ass, Jack slid next to Ennis on the bedroll, maintaining contact by rubbing the spunk on Ennis’ stomach and bringing his sticky fingers up to his mouth. “Mmmm Ennis….looks like I’m not gonna have to cook after all.” Jack stuck his fingers in his mouth and sucked them clean. “Cream of Ennis soup!”

Ennis stared at him as if he’d lost his mind, but he opened his lips willingly as Jack moved over and claimed his mouth once more, making sure he shared the flavor with his lover. They made out languidly for a few minutes, just enjoying the feeling of their entwined arms and legs and the sensual rubbing of their lips and noses. Finally, they came to rest with their foreheads touching and gazes locked. Ennis’ stomach growled. Jack laughed, and with one last, quick kiss, he patted Ennis’ still sticky stomach and sat up. “Alright Ennis, I can’t have ya weak from hunger or some shit, so lemme go fix us some supper.” Jack grabbed his abandoned clothes and quickly dressed and left the tent, whistling a tuneless melody as he headed toward the campfire.

Ennis remained motionless on the bedroll, staring at the dirty cloth ceiling above him. When he was with Jack, like they just were, he felt like they were invincible and he allowed himself to believe for that too brief time, that they would somehow find a way to be together always. But then, all too quickly, the euphoria would fade, Jack would fall asleep or head off on some errand or another, and Ennis would be left with that voice in his head. The one that sounded like his Daddy, or his brother K.E., or a lynch mob, just waitin’ for Jack and him, tire irons glintin’ in the moonlight, remindin’ him that there weren’t no way that two men could ever live together. No way. Just ask Earl. Ennis closed his suddenly burning eyes and pressed his hands against his ears, trying to silence both the voices in his head and the whistling from outside the tent.

Jack, unaware of Ennis’ distress inside the tent, glanced over and then up at the sky as it began to lighten and blue started peeking through the clouds once more. He was pleased at the progress they had made today, and he just knew that one day real soon, his patience would be rewarded and he would finally have it all. Yep…Jack Twist’s luckiest day was just around the corner.


	4. Blame the Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is facing another lonely night in the lower campsite when things take a turn for the better.

Jack shifted restlessly in his bedroll, the acrid smell of smoke from the dying campfire making his eyes tear and his throat burn. Strange shadows swam within the pools of moonlight that shimmered near the tent’s entrance, reminding Jack of times in his childhood when his Momma would sit next to him on his narrow bed on nights such as this, trying to sooth him after one of his Daddy’s violent tirades. But Jack didn’t want to waste his time thinking on his bastard of a Daddy, not when he was finally, truly happy with his life. You see, Jack, at the tender age of nineteen, had found himself a special someone, just like his Momma had promised he would as she had comforted him on those moonlit nights that seemed so long ago…..’cept his Momma had always spoken of Jack’s meetin’ the perfect girl…but Jack, in his typical contrary way, had gone and found himself the perfect guy.

Problem was, Mr. Wonderful, Ennis Del Mar, was up watching over a thousand fuckin’ sheep, while Jack was left sleeping all alone in a dirty, lopsided tent. “Fuckin’ Aguirre,” Jack muttered as he tossed and turned and kicked his feet in frustration, “There ain’t no good reason we should have to sleep in separate camps…asshole!”

And try as he might to convince Ennis to spend the nights with him, he had only met with limited success in that endeavor. Ennis, it seemed, took his duty as protector of the dumbass sheep damn seriously, and while his loyal nature endeared him to Jack, it also was the cause of much frustration, and many late night sessions of tossing off, when the real thing was mockingly within reach.

Resigned to another sleepless night, Jack shrugged into his jacket, pulled out his smokes, and tapped a cigarette into his hand. Reaching over, he grabbed the nearby bottle of whiskey and stood up, heading for the beckoning moonlight, and some more time alone with his troubled thoughts.

Trudging over to the near dead fire, he began to stoke it back up into flames, shivering a little in the brisk mountain air. “Jesus, I hate the cold!” Jack grumbled to himself, dreaming of a time when he & Ennis could visit someplace warm, maybe Mexico. Jack smiled as he pictured he and Ennis walking hand in hand on a white sandy beach….in cowboy boots and jeans?! Jack snorted at the thought. No, maybe not Mexico after all. Well, maybe they could follow the rodeo circuit come Springtime, go down to Texas or Arizona, at least it would be warmer there than fuckin’ Wyoming. Jack nodded his head in approval; now all he had to do was convince Ennis.

He took a long drag on his cigarette and a longer pull of whiskey and leaned back to gaze at the bright full moon. “Yeah Ennis,” he sighed, “You and me would make one hell of a team.” Off in the distance a coyote howled, the mournful sound causing the hair on the nape of Jack’s neck to stand up, and Jack’s thoughts to turn to the man higher up on the mountain, who was no doubt alert and ready to defend the sheep from any predators in their midst.

As Jack quietly sat beside the now comforting warmth of the fire, he became aware of the usual side effect that took place when he was thinkin’ on Ennis, and shifted his hips trying to find a less painful position for his hardening cock. Stubbing out his nearly spent cigarette and carefully placing the largely full whiskey bottle on the ground beside him, Jack decided he needed to take matters into his own hands, and sighed with relief as he loosened his jeans and reached inside his waistband to give his erection some room to grow as it were. Hissing slightly as he touched the engorged and sensitized tip, he settled back more firmly against the closest log and shifted his hips once again, this time freeing the rest of his cock and a good portion of his balls too.

As he arched his neck back and opened his eyes, Jack’s attention was caught once again by the bright white of the moon, its fullness complete, much like it was that first night he and Ennis became lovers. Well, the first night they had sex, Jack corrected himself with a rueful grin. Too drunk and horny and confused to call that rough mating anything else Jack thought now. Although when he had first caught Ennis’ hand in his and pressed it firmly against his erect cock, he honestly wasn’t sure what he had expected. Jack groaned as he mimicked that virgin touch now against his naked skin, rubbing the length of his cock, dipping a finger in his slit to spread the slick that had collected there, swallowing the spit that had collected in his mouth as he longed for Ennis’ lips to join with his in a deep and wet kiss.

Jack settled in to a loose rhythm, pausing to add more slick to smooth his way, his mind wandering to the first time they had really made love, Ennis coming to him, hat in hand, wordlessly opening himself to the joys that their bodies instinctively knew how to give to each other. Jack thrust his hips upward and lengthened his strokes, loudly groaning at the memory of the expressions that had flickered across Ennis’ face that night. Desire instead of lust, passion instead of panic, acceptance instead of confusion; Jack slowed his pace and squeezed his cock firmly, not wanting his release to spill out quite so quickly tonight.

Suddenly, Jack paused mid-stroke and tilted his head sharply to his left. He had heard something different in the night sounds coming from that direction. For a moment, he felt a sharp tingle of fear shoot down his spine, causing his erection to begin to flag, but then, he heard a quiet whinny and the sound of a hoof softly pawing the ground, and Jack knew the identity of his unexpected visitor, and his cock immediately sprang stiffly back to attention.

Certain that Ennis had chosen to stay in the shadows, unobserved, when he realized what Jack was doing before their campfire, Jack decided to have some fun, surprising himself for a moment at how aroused he was thinkin’ on giving Ennis a secret show. Stroking himself with renewed vigor, Jack reached further between his legs and palmed his balls, rolling them gently between his fingers, sure that he heard a quiet gasp and muffled groan coming from just within the tree line.

Fairly certain that the sound would carry back in Ennis’ direction, Jack thrashed his head from side to side and panted, “Alice…oh Alice…touch me again.” Jack waited a beat, then moaned loudly, almost missing the flurry of movement swooping in from his left.

“What the fuck…Jack…who the hell is Alice??” a pissed off Ennis suddenly stood before him, fists clenched, jaw tight, startling Jack with the intensity of his displeasure. Quickly recovering, Jack stared up at Ennis in mock surprise, hoping he could pull this off before he got pummeled by his obviously jealous lover. “Shit Ennis…where the hell ya come from? Give me a goddamn heart attack popping up out of the woods like that!” Jack smiled at him winningly, cock still in hand, pre-come glistening on its tip.

“The hell with that, Jack. I come down tonight ‘cause it was quiet as a cemetery up there, and find ya jerking off in front of the fire, thinkin’ on some bitch named Alice! Who’s Alice, huh?” Ennis was almost spitting he was so worked up, so Jack figured that it was time to cut his cowboy some slack…and give himself a happy endin’ to boot.

Jack stood up slowly, his erection bobbing into his stomach gently, drawing Ennis’ irate attention and causing his jaw to loosen slackly in lust. “C’mon Ennis…I was just havin’ a little fun with ya. I knew ya was there….ya made enough noise to wake the damn dead!”

As Jack spoke, he advanced steadily on his lover, well aware that Ennis’ anger was fading as quickly as his cock was rising, if the bulge between his legs was any indication of his changing state of mind. “Whenever I get to feelin’ lonely down here when you’re way up there counting fuckin’ sheep…I only think on you…imagining it’s your hand strokin’ me and pettin’ me…makin’ me shoot so hard I almost hit the damn moon every time.”

By the time he finished speaking, Jack was standing right close to Ennis, and he grabbed him by the hand, and brought it up against his now dripping erection, wrapping Ennis’ big, rough hand around his cock and squeezing his own hand tightly around Ennis’. “Oh God,” Jack moaned, hearing an echo from Ennis’ mouth, “Ennis… no one else has ever made me feel like this….ya gotta believe me.” Jack stared into Ennis’ face intently, the warmth of their entwined hands on his cock suddenly feeling to Jack like a promise being made, but unsure what exactly was being sworn.

When Ennis finally lifted his gaze to meet Jack’s, the combined longing and confusion contained there was enough to make Jack suddenly feel like crying, as though he and Ennis were once again in separate camps, only this time neither one knew how to bridge the distance between them. Ennis raised his free hand toward Jack’s cheek and stopped a few inches from contact, hovering there, a slight tremor the only indication of his inward turmoil.

Jack moved into the touch and turned his face just enough to press his lips against Ennis’ open palm. He reached his own free hand up to surround Ennis’ and joined them together, completing their circle of intimacy.

Jack pressed closer to Ennis’ warm length, moving his hand from Ennis’ face to clasp the nape of his neck, pulling him into an open-mouthed kiss. Ennis responded feverishly, devouring Jack’s mouth, pushing his tongue deeply inside, removing the hand fondling Jack’s erection to reach around and cup his firm ass cheeks. Lifting his head briefly from their joined mouths, Ennis began to steer Jack backwards toward a large tree just on the edge of the clearing. Backing Jack into the trunk, Ennis ground his hips into Jack’s causing Jack to gasp at the roughness of Ennis’ jeans clad erection against his bare cock.

“Drive me crazy…Jack Twist.” Ennis muttered as he roughly kneaded Jack’s ass and pushed his face into Jack’s neck, nipping and biting as he felt Jack’s hands move to his waist and begin to fumble with the fastenings on his jeans.

“Short fuckin’ drive I’m thinkin’.” Jack laughed breathlessly, throwing his head back to allow Ennis’ mouth free rein on his throat. Ennis half-growled, half-chuckled as he accepted what was offered and suckled hungrily on Jack’s neck, all the while shifting and bucking as Jack struggled to loosen his jeans and succeeded in pushing them down to his ankles, finally freeing his erection and eliciting a groan from both men.

Suddenly, Ennis released Jack’s ass, dropped to his knees and slipped Jack’s jeans to the ground, immediately taking Jack deeply into his mouth with what sounded above the pounding in Jack’s ears to be a hum of pleasure. Jack, fighting not to explode in Ennis’ mouth from the unexpected deep throating, bucked his hips wildly, clenching his fists as he pushed down reflexively on Ennis’ shoulders. “Ennis…” he panted as he stared down with passion glazed eyes at his pelvis thrusting in and out of Ennis’ mouth, “Ennis….not gonna last much longer…Jesus!”

Ennis released Jack from his mouth with a moist popping sound, rose quickly, and spun Jack around to face the tree, planting his hands against the bark and gently kicking his legs apart, causing Jack’s ass to push out invitingly, and leaving little doubt as to what was on Ennis’ mind. “Hurry up Ennis!” Jack hissed, his voice tight as he continued struggling to control his orgasm.

“Hold your fuckin’ horses, Jack….” Ennis hissed back as he tripped toward his saddlebag, getting caught by the jeans bunched up between his ankles. “Need the balm, so’s you don’t end up feelin’ like your ass is on fire!” Ennis triumphantly grabbed a small bottle, dipping his fingers in deeply as he hopped back to Jack, impatiently waiting by the tree, his right hand heading toward his aching cock. “No touchin…” Ennis growled, grabbing Jack’s wandering hand and placing it firmly back on the tree, “that’s mine…”

“Christ…” Jack moaned as he bit his lip in frustration, ending with a slight yelp as Ennis stuck two slippery and cold fingers into his exposed hole. “…ya could have warned me.”  
But he pushed his ass back eagerly, trying to get Ennis’ fingers deeper into his passage.

“Slow down, Jack…I’m doin’ the fuckin’ here.” But there was no censure in Ennis’ words, rather his voice had that deep, raspy timber that caused Jack’s cock to jump to attention every time. Ennis continued to plunder Jack’s hole until he was tapping steadily on Jack’s gland and Jack was panting and cursing, coming dangerously close to scraping his member painfully against the tree. Ennis reached around with his other hand and grabbed Jack’s hip, pulling him back slightly away from the tree’s trunk, and removing his fingers to line his well lubed cock up with Jack’s ass. He nudged his way slowly inside, stopping often to allow Jack time to adjust to his intrusion.

Finally, he was completely sheathed in velvet heat and he leaned heavily on Jack’s back, panting through his urge to thrust powerfully, sucking and licking on Jack’s exposed nape, wrapping his lean arms around Jack’s waist as he started to pull out and thrust back in slowly. He moved one arm from Jack’s waist to his engorged and weeping cock, using the slick to ease his way, Jack eagerly fucking his hand as Ennis continued to increase the speed and force of his thrusts behind him.

All too quickly Ennis felt Jack’s muscles clench against his sheathed cock, pushing him over the edge as he felt Jack’s spunk shoot hotly over his hand to splash against the tree trunk, the sounds of their release echoing loudly through the still, night woods.

As their breathing slowly returned to normal, Ennis slipped out of Jack and wordlessly took him by the hand, leading him directly to their tent. Jack followed silently, pausing for one last glance at the full moon as he ducked inside.

Still not speaking, Ennis straightened out the mussed up bedroll, removed the rest of his clothes and lay down on his side, facing Jack, who followed his lead and was soon lying naked next to him, their gazes locked, expressions hidden by the darkness, the waning moon no longer bright enough to illuminate the tent.

Ennis gave Jack a soft kiss and then pushed lightly at Jack’s shoulder, urging him to turn onto his other side, allowing Ennis to spoon up tight behind him, one strong arm encircling his waist, the other pillowing under his head. Jack snuggled back against Ennis’ heat, reaching down to pull the top of the bedroll up around them, cocooning them together completely. Jack’s eyes closed peacefully as he began to drift into sleep and he smiled happily as he heard an almost soundless humming behind him, and felt butterfly kisses upon his bare back.

Some time later, Jack awoke abruptly, unsure of what had disturbed his blissful dreams. He quickly realized that Ennis’ comforting warmth was no longer beside him, and he sighed softly, knowing that he wouldn’t find Ennis anywhere nearby. As he rolled onto his back with his hands behind his head, Jack listened to the night sounds around him giving way to the early morning birdsong, and he closed his eyes to stem back the tears that threatened to fall. It was stupid, but at that moment Jack was jealous of the sheep, the only thing on the mountain that could pull Ennis’ attention and company away from him.

“C’mon Twist….stop being such a girl,” Jack chided himself fiercely. “Ennis came down to spend the night with ya, didn’t he?” Yes, Jack admitted to himself ruefully, Ennis had broken the rules again to be with him, and at the end of the summer, when they brought the sheep down and maybe told Aguirre where to shove ‘em, there would be no further distractions. He and Ennis would carefully make their plans, and there would come a time when Jack would look back on this summer as the miracle that it was…the summer he found the one true thing his Momma promised him many moonlit nights in the past.


	5. Slow and Steady

“Jesus…Good God” Jack moaned in ecstasy. “Your hands…Ennis….where the hell did ya learn how to do that?” Jack was lying spread-eagled and half-naked on his stomach in the tall meadow grass, a ratty horse blanket beneath him and a tall, lanky cowboy straddling his ass.

“Whut?” Ennis mumbled shyly, digging his strong hands deeper into the tight muscles on Jack’s shoulders. Jack was feeling a bit sore on account of his getting thrown earlier that morning by his dumbass mare. “Just tryin’ to keep your muscles from tightenin’ up too much, Jack. I told ya that filly had a low startle point more’n once…..ya need to be more careful.”

“Yeah..well…that damn jackrabbit come from nowhere and next I know….blam!.. I’m flat on my back in the dirt.” Jack started to crane his neck to look at Ennis while he was speaking, wincing as he felt a slight pull in his neck.

“Stay still…gonna undo all the good I done here by squirmin’ around like ya got ants in your pants.” Ennis grumbled and pushed down firmly on Jack’s restless shoulders. “Now what if I been up here when that happened and ya were all alone down there…ya ever think a that!”

Jack pillowed his head on his folded arms and hid a smile, “Why, Ennis Del Mar…ya worryin’ about me? That just warms my cockles, friend.”

“Ya just keep your cockles to yourself right now ‘friend’ “, Ennis replied with a smirk, then continued more seriously, “ Really Jack, ya gotta watch yourself. I..I..don’t know what I’d do if something bad happened to ya.”

Despite Ennis’ earlier protests, Jack pushed himself up on his arms and rolled over, unseating Ennis, who slid to the ground abruptly. “C.mere …ya know…no one’s ever given a shit about me before. What’ll I do without ya come September?” And a sad smile settled upon Jack’s face as the innocent question suddenly took on the weight of the world. Reaching up to cup Ennis’ face lightly, he saw his eyes darting nervously in every direction except towards him. Stifling a sigh, Jack pulled Ennis closer, and touched their lips together in a gentle, almost chaste, kiss.

“Well…ya were there…and I thank ya for not laughin’ your ass off at the picture I must a made flying through the air. Damn, this was nothin’ compared to getting’ throwed by a fuckin’ bull though.”

Jack sat back on his heels and gave Ennis a speculative look. “Ya know,” he started casually, feeling his way delicately around some not so well hidden land mines, “….rodeo season ain’t over in warmer places like Texas and New Mexico ‘til almost November…..maybe we could head South after we bring them sheep down, Ennis. Maybe make some extra money ‘fore winter sets in.” Jack held his breath and struggled to keep his expression neutral, not wanting to tip his hand too much and scare his lover back into his shell.

Whenever a young Jack would go off half-cocked as he was wont to do, his Momma would grab him by his shoulders, look him in the eye, and tell him, “Slow and steady wins the race Jackie, ya gotta stop and think, son.” Then she’d sigh and pull him in for a hug, both of them knowing they’d be repeating that scene again soon enough. Keeping his Momma’s advice firmly in mind now, Jack absently played with the frayed end of the blanket, keeping his eyes low, but still making sure Ennis remained in his periphery.

As soon as he had finished speaking, he saw Ennis send a sharp glance in his direction, his forehead crinkling as he frowned, his thumb heading toward his mouth, where he would shortly begin to nibble on the nail. “Jack…ya know me and Alma are gettin’ married in November, and what with us being apart all summer….” Ennis’ voice trailed off as he realized how he had really been spending that time apart, and he paled as he started entering full blown guilt mode. “How do ya think it will look….me bein’ gone all those months and then runnin’ off to Mexico with ya…goin’ rodeoin’, huh?”

Keeping his eyes averted, Ennis missed the look of hurt, anger, and near despair that crossed Jack’s face. “Maybe she’ll just think your doin’ your best to do right by her…Jesus! And it’s fuckin’ New Mexico, Ennis….not goddamn South of the Border!”

“Yeah…ok Jack….and maybe she’ll think I don’t wanna marry her anymore, and break off the engagement!” Ennis angrily raised his head and met Jack’s eyes, each glaring at the other across the threadbare blanket.

“And tell me friend…would that be such a fuckin’ tragedy?” Jack’s anger had been sparked, and all thoughts of proceeding with caution had flown out of his mind. Slow and steady his ass! He jumped to his feet, with Ennis following right alongside. “Let’s just think about that for one little minute, huh Ennis?”

Ennis’ tightly clenched fists twitched dangerously at his sides, and for a moment, Jack thought he was going to get sucker punched. Ennis’ face was red, but his eyes gleamed with a brightness that could have been mistaken for the warning sign of imminent tears in a man less damaged by his childhood than Ennis.

“How ya gonna look her in the eyes, kiss her rosy lips, and spout out weddin’ vows, knowin’ what we have shared here on this mountain?” Jack was puffed up like an indignant tom turkey, poking Ennis in the chest with an angry finger as he spat out his question.

Ennis just continued to glare at him, the vein in his temple throbbing, hands now shaking at his sides, and Jack steeled himself for the blow that was now surely to come. Finally, a choked sound burst forth from Ennis’ chest, and as Jack watched in astonishment, Ennis crumpled to the ground in a very un-Ennis-like heap. Hands covered his face and roughly yanked through his hair, muffled words fighting their way to the surface.

“Jack….I don’t know what I’m doin’ no more…” Ennis’ last words came out broken and hoarse. “Bein’ with ya….doin’ all them things we do….its wrong….its gotta be wrong…and we agreed it’s a one shot thing….we both agreed.” Ennis pinched the bridge of his nose viciously, and Jack grabbed his fingers and pulled them away from his face, firmly twining their hands together.

“It’s alright Ennis…..we got time….we don’t gotta bring about world peace…or any of that shit today…and we got all the way ‘til September to talk about...the uh...other stuff.” Jack was almost speechless in his shock. “I like all them things we do….and ya don’t gotta tell Alma or anyone else about us right now.” Jack had slipped down beside Ennis and taken him in his arms to try and let him know that it really was alright, even though the ache in Jack’s chest was telling him something different.

“Jack...I’m sorry…think I need to go take a ride…clear my head.” Ennis looked at Jack sorrowfully, and made a move to break away. “I don’t think so cowboy,” Jack shook his head, held up their entwined hands, and pulled Ennis toward him. “We need to finish this conversation before we leave this mountain, boy…ya ain’t gettin’ out of it that easy….but…ya know ya got me riled earlier with your big, strong hands and I’d like to thank ya proper for my medicinal massage.”

And with that Jack pulled Ennis’ hat off his head and threw it aside, making sure to push his lover firmly down onto his back on the blanket. “Jack…” Ennis protested half-heartedly as Jack clambered on top of him, pushing his hands down on either side of his head, effectively trapping him. “…I dunno if right now is a good time for us to be foolin’ around.” Ennis’ eyes were still clouded with doubt, his head was swimming from the harsh words they had shared, and the harsher realities that had started to spew forth, spilling out like something loosed from Pandora’s box, starting to change things between them for always. “I’m not thinkin’ clear…and I’m not sure I can…” Ennis blushed darkly, “ya know….do it.”

Jack, needing to salvage the damage wrought by his angry misstep, and reclaim his man, pushed his own fear and doubts aside for the moment, abiding by another of his Momma’s favorite sayings, “Actions speak louder than words.” And hoping, not for the first time, that his Momma hadn’t just been blowing smoke up his ass, Jack smiled down at Ennis sweetly and winked, “Well shit Ennis….all the more reason to do it…need to conduct us a little experiment….make sure nothin’ got broke when I took that nasty spill...ya know?” and he swooped down and claimed Ennis’ mouth in a fiery kiss.

Ennis’ lips remained tightly sealed until Jack released his mouth. “Ja…..” he started, and got no further as Jack took his opened lips as a carte blanche invitation and dove tongue first back into Ennis’ mouth, clacking teeth, and chasing Ennis’ tongue with his until he gave in with a groan, roughly returning Jack’s passion, feeling his jeans tighten as his cock grew hard and his mind began to spin, pushing his doubts aside as he lost himself in his lover’s rough embrace.

“That’s better.” Jack spoke softly as he again broke the kiss, both of them starting to pant, Jack still firmly pressing Ennis’ hands to the blanket. Jack lowered his head and began to trace a slow, wet trail from Ennis’ smooth collarbone to his Adam’s apple, taking note of the spots that caused Ennis to moan quietly and arch his body. Jack then repeated the path in reverse pausing to lightly nip and hungrily suck at each point that Ennis had responded to in his first trip.

Ennis’ eyes were tightly closed and his mouth was slack with passion, low moans beginning to be drawn from his throat as Jack kept his speed slow, but increased the intensity of bites and marks. Ennis’ captive hands clenched and unclenched as he half-heartedly fought to release himself from Jack’s restraints. Ennis cried out and his upper body twitched as Jack latched onto his nipples with teeth and tongue, than released the nubs and blew warm air on them to both sooth and arouse his lover further.

They had come together many times since that first night of rough mating, but it was rare that either pursued gentle lovemaking, seeming to prefer the fierce coupling that had begun their affair that drunken night in the tent. Jack had tried to initiate some erotic and exploratory encounters several times, but always had been swept under in the riptides of passion that Ennis forced on him, leaving Jack satisfied but longing for something deeper, an intimacy that had so far eluded them.

Frustrated by earlier failed attempts, and with his ego still suffering from their recent disagreement and the mention of her name, Jack decided that in this one little thing, today he would be having his way. Lifting his face from Ennis’ chest, now slick and shiny from his spit, Jack whispered, “Don’t fight me on this Ennis,” and he brought his lips down to gently meet with Ennis’, grinding their naked chests together, and pushing down firmly on Ennis’ wrists. “Now….don’t move…unless ya want me to go grab me some rope, ok, boy?” Jack spoke against Ennis’ mouth, catching his lower lip with his teeth and pulling softly in warning as he shifted further down his lover’s now still body.

Ennis blew some air through his nose as Jack crouched over him, opening his eyes briefly as Jack released his hands, and nodding in understanding. Some part of Ennis accepted Jack’s control as the consequences to be paid for his earlier hurtful comments, but another part, buried deeply within his soul, as yet unacknowledged, thrilled to this dominant foreplay, causing a shudder to wrack his now fully aroused body.

Jack, pleased at Ennis’ unexpected compliance, felt his groin tighten in anticipation, and he once more lowered his mouth, this time concentrating on Ennis’ stomach and the beginnings of the golden fur that dusted his lower abdomen disappearing under his waistband. “Oh yeah, Ennis,” Jack breathed as he saw the bulge straining from Ennis’ crotch. “Gonna make ya feel so good…..so good…” Jack placed his mouth over Ennis’ jeans clad erection and mouthed it wetly, blowing hot breath through the damp cloth and gently cupping the outline of his balls beneath. “So good…,” he murmured again, reaching between his own legs and fondling his erect cock. Ennis groaned and stretched, stopping short of reaching for Jack, unsure of his mood and if he truly meant what he said about the rope. “Sumbitch just might be crazy enough to use it,” Ennis thought as Jack looked up at him with a wicked gleam in his eye, then immediately lost that train of thought as Jack unfastened his jeans and reached inside to pull his cock free. Jack continued to release Ennis’ package from its denim prison, pausing only to swipe his finger over the tip, where a single drop of pre-cum glistened, bringing his finger to his mouth to lick it clean.

Quickly losing his own pants, Jack moved back to Ennis’ side, admiring the view his lover made spread out before him, cock pointing skyward, and hands obediently at his sides. When Ennis glanced down the length of his body to see what Jack was doing, their gazes met, and Jack licked his lips suggestively, leaning closer to Ennis’ dripping erection. Still meeting Ennis’ eyes, Jack engulfed the engorged tip in his mouth, sucking noisily and cupping his balls gently. Pulling off slightly, he began to slowly lick his way up and down the entire length of Ennis’ shaft, pausing to make sure he lavished the same attention on Ennis’ balls, making a decidedly happy sound deep in the back of his throat.

Ennis tried to maintain eye contact with Jack, but his eyes soon rolled as the languid pace of Jack’s blow job caused his turgid penis to throb and ache in ways it never had before. “Jesus, Jack….your mouth…faster…God…I need to…,” Ennis gave up on coherent speech as Jack suddenly took him deeper still, the spongy head of Ennis’ cock rubbing against the back of Jack’s throat, and Ennis lost the fight to remain still, his hips starting to buck jerkily as a fiery sensation spread from his spine to his balls. Consumed by erotic pleasure, finally fucking Jack’s mouth in a steady rhythm, Ennis reached down and grabbed Jack’s head, his large, rough hands sifting restlessly through the thick, dark hair that he longed to play with often, but didn’t dare to touch outside of these passionate encounters. Jack continued to pleasure Ennis, but he arched into his touch, making a purring noise in his chest to voice his approval of his lover’s caress.

Ennis grunted and his orgasm suddenly burst forth from his loins, a white blaze of light appearing before his eyes as he felt his spunk splashing against the back of Jack’s throat, where it was quickly swallowed. Ennis was dimly aware of Jack’s rising up on his knees beside him, hands stroking up and down his own swollen, dripping cock feverishly, his mouth open in ecstasy as he brought himself to completion.

Although his own erection had wilted considerably by now, Ennis felt a twitch of interest as he watched Jack shoot his own load onto Ennis’ stomach and chest. The musky scent of semen combined with the mountain air was the most heady aroma Ennis had ever smelled, and as Jack opened his eyes and saw Ennis watching him, he smiled blearily, and let out a contented sigh. “Well…I guess everythin’s still in workin’ order….huh Ennis?” and he dropped down next to Ennis, trailing his fingers through the spunk pooled on Ennis’ stomach. He reached across Ennis and grabbed the corner of the blanket, wiping Ennis clean as best he could.

“Yep…” he breathed as he settled down right up close to his lover’s side, “bet there’s not many gals can suck a cock quite like that…ya know?” He pulled Ennis toward him as he spoke, snuggling up onto his musky sweaty chest, welcoming the manly smell that tickled his nose. Jack and Ennis lay quietly in each others arms, the Wyoming sun beating down on them hotly, while a cool mountain crosswind blew refreshingly across their heated bodies.

Ennis was silent…the words would not come, but he tightened his grip on his friend and tried to picture a life together for them…a life where they could be safe and happy together…a life after the summertime. And for just a moment, as he stared up at a sky that reminded him of his lover’s gaze…Ennis caught a fleeting glimpse…and he allowed himself a rare moment of hope. He closed his eyes against the brightness of the sun, and drifted off to sleep…Jack’s heartbeat slow and steady in his ear, and for once, all was right in his world.


	6. Misty Morning Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennis does a lot of thinking during the misty morning ride to the meadow.

The misty gray of dawn was Ennis’ favorite time of day. Dewdrops glistened on every branch, leaf, and blade of grass, giving the impression that the life contained within was something precious and magical. For those few moments, before the sun’s rays burned off the radiant moisture, Ennis could imagine that the world was a beautiful place where anything was possible…even two men living together.

Ennis bounced gently in the saddle, slowly heading up the trail that led to the sheep meadow, drinking in the peaceful, almost tranquil genesis of the midsummer’s daybreak.

Now, Ennis was a rancher’s son and he had been raised to be a practical sort of person. No daydreaming or wishful thinking allowed…not when there were stalls to be mucked, horses and livestock to be tended to, and no time for any sort of foolishness. Rise at dawn, put in a full day’s work, early to bed, and repeat it all over again the next day.

That rancher’s code was what Ennis patterned his life after, pride in a job well done, responsibilities shouldered with no complaining, doing what was expected…no questions asked. Even after his Momma and Daddy died and left three orphaned children with a ranch mortgaged to the hilt and beyond saving, Ennis never forgot what it meant to be a rancher’s son, even without a ranch to call his own.

No….even after his sister up and married a roughneck, grabbing on to what security she could, and his brother knocked up a waitress in East Bumfuck somewhere and had to get married and move in with her family…leaving Ennis out in the cold again….orphaned twice; even then Ennis didn’t complain, because his Daddy taught him that only women complained about shit….men either fixed it or just had to goddamn stand it…and Ennis was definitely a man.

Then one day, while leaning up against a shitty trailer, brown paper bag holding his meager belongings at his feet, desperately waiting for a job far removed from real ranching, Ennis’ logical world had been shattered by the driver of the crappiest truck Ennis had ever seen…and Ennis had seen many a decrepit vehicle in his short life.

His name, Ennis quickly found out, was Jack Twist, and he was to be sheep herder to Ennis’ camp tender for the summer on Brokeback Mountain. Over gettin’ to know ya beers at the one drinking hole in town, Ennis soon found his head swimming, and not just from the weak ass beer they were served.

Jack was a rancher’s son too, came from Lightning Flat way up near Montana, which didn’t explain why Jack’s pride in ranch ownership was non-existent, unless folks in Montana was plum nuts. Ennis couldn’t figure any reason why someone who still had a ranch in their family would choose to herd dumbass sheep up on a godforsaken mountain instead of ranching their own land.

But Ennis soon found as they began their isolated time together that summer, that Jack Twist was something he had never encountered before…a true friend. Jack had an opinion about everything and he wasn’t shy about voicing it neither. Ennis found himself staring at Jack, slack jawed in amazement, several times a day, fascinated by the other man’s near constant chatter at first, and then later, mesmerized by feelings that were un-nameable to Ennis. And as their first days together turned into weeks, Ennis found himself responding to Jack’s rantings and ravings with comments of his own, and even when they disagreed, Ennis felt a spark of pride whenever Jack slanted an appraising glance his way, gave him an approving smile, or best of all, called him friend.

Ennis smiled to himself as he continued his lonesome trek up the mountain, daydreaming like a girl, his Daddy’s voice growled, of the things he and Jack shared in the privacy of the camp, or in the sheltering pasture grasses, causing him to blush fiercely, but also shift uncomfortably as the tightening in his groin had him longing to be wrapped up tightly in the safety of Jack’s arms back in their bedroll.

Jack always grumbled when Ennis pulled away from him in the early morning chill, Ennis whispering in his ear, “I’ve gotta go.” Jack, reaching out to him sleepily, “C’mere Ennis….shit it’s still dark…stay here with me a little longer friend…them sheep don’t give a crap if you’re there to share the fuckin’ sunrise with ‘em.” And many a time, just like this morning, Ennis would give in to his lover’s demand, and slowly sink back down into the coziness that called to him, and the passion that tempted him, Jack’s warm lips invariably closing over his in a deep kiss that sparked the embers that always burned just beneath the surface with them, and Ennis would once again be lost.

Lost…Ennis mused at the irony of the word. Had Ennis lost himself to Jack Twist? What exactly did that mean anyway? So far in his life, Ennis had lost many things…his parents….their ranch….his brother and sister…all negative things…but losing himself in Jack’s arms….what was so bad about that?

Ennis thought he had found the answer to filling the emptiness in his life by promising to marry Alma Beers when he came down off the mountain, Alma representing a new hope to him, the promise of companionship, children, a comfortable home….love? But his unexpected relationship with Jack had thrown him off balance, putting numerous doubts in his mind. Ennis searched his conflicted soul daily, his practical rancher’s mentality crashing into the wild emotions Jack had introduced into his life, causing Ennis to sometimes tremble with the struggle being fought within him.

In the quiet still of the morning, or in the shelter of Jack’s embrace, Ennis felt calm and sure that the road to happiness lay with Jack, as unconventional and dangerous as that life would surely be. But, after many hours alone with just his tortured thoughts for company, or worse, in the middle of the night, when he would awaken in terror from the recurring nightmare where faceless men brandished tire irons and screamed “Die, faggots, die!” , Ennis’ resolve would weaken and doubts would once again cloud his mind.

Ennis finally reached his destination with a frown on his face and worry in his eyes, all tranquil thoughts having taken flight like a flock of startled quail as his demons firmly took hold and began their daily torture.

Ennis emerged from the wooded path and quickly surveyed the flock of aimless sheep milling about, his frown deepening further as he spied carrion birds circling lazily in the lower meadow. Quickly wheeling his mount in that direction, Ennis took off at a breakneck pace, already surmising that a sorry fate had been dealt to one of the flock he was expected to keep safe. Sure enough, as he approached the scavengers flying above, Ennis spied the half-eaten sheep carcass, obviously a victim of a predator that had taken advantage of the unguarded animals and taken their pick.

“Goddammit!” Ennis ground out in frustration, dismounting hurriedly, unreasonable anger flaring out at Jack. “That’s it Jack…no more sweet talking me into staying all night no more!” Even as he continued to curse and mutter under his breath, he felt his conscience pricking at him, and he flashed on an image of Jack, blue eyes bitter and sad, watching as Ennis left him alone in the camp clearing once again, looking to Ennis like some kind of….. “Orphan.” Ennis softly whispered, the word clearly resonating in his brain deeply, causing him to sigh in defeat, knowing that to see that look in Jack’s eyes for real would just about kill him.

Anger seeped out of him like air from a deflating balloon, and Ennis was so intent on his inner turmoil he jumped when he heard a voice behind him call out, “Ennis!” And there stood the object of his conflicted thoughts, worry in his eyes at the sight of Ennis standing over the mutilated carcass. “Aw shit…damn coyotes got another one!” Jack walked over to stand next to Ennis, “Poor thing…hope it didn’t suffer much.”

“It got its damn throat ripped out by a coyote, how do ya think that felt, huh Jack?” Ennis lashed out at Jack angrily, knowing in his heart his anger was misplaced but unable to rein himself in. He immediately felt guilty as he saw the hurt flash across his lover’s face, quickly replaced by annoyance. “Well, I’m sure it wasn’t a pleasant death Ennis…but ya don’t have to bite my head off…goddamn!” Jack huffed the words out, hands on hips, clearly pissed off.

Ennis felt like shit for rounding on Jack like he had, and he stepped closer to the bristling man and laid a gentle hand on his tense forearm. “I’m sorry bud…you’re right…It’s not your fault…I should a been up here last night…I’m not doin’ a very good job here.” Ennis raised his head and looked sadly into Jack’s face. “Maybe I need to start spending more time doin’ what I’m paid to do.”

Jack took a sharp glance at Ennis’ miserable and guilt ridden expression and quickly realized what was going through his mind. “Bullshit Ennis! Even if ya stayed up here twenty four and seven those bastards would find a way to pick off the herd here and there and ya know it. Besides, I know ya took out a couple of ‘em already and it weren’t in the dead of night that ya shot ‘em neither.” Jack’s voice softened and he put his hand over where Ennis’ still rested on his arm, “Your place is with me Ennis…and mine is with you…don’t ya know that by now?” He reached up and touched the frown lines on Ennis’ forehead, “What we got here is more than just a one shot thing…I’m not sure what it is exactly…but I know it’s got me but good!” Jack stood quietly as he finished speaking, unsure of the reaction he would be getting, but unafraid and unashamed to have revealed what his heart told him.

Ennis regarded him soberly, brown eyes shadowed, jaw clenched to aching, but deep within he felt something slowly unfurling, reaching toward the steady warmth that seemed to emanate from Jack. Mirroring that feeling beginning to grow inside, Ennis swayed nearer to Jack, pressing himself closely to Jack’s side, arms encircling his waist.

“Jack...”, his voice cracked as though he hadn’t spoken in years, “Jack…”, he tried again, feeling himself drawn in as though Jack was a magnet and he was steel, “I don’t know how to do this…I’m so confused…I can’t think of not bein’ here with you…but down there…maybe I could try…”, his voice trailed off, and he nodded down toward their camp, although Jack knew his gesture was aimed back to civilization.

Jack nodded and smiled at this man who had become his entire world and thought to himself, “Yes…this is enough for now…it’s somethin’ to build on sure enough!” Almost a promise, but less than a vow, yet somehow more than what Jack had ever thought would come his way, thinking back on his bleak childhood.

“Alright Ennis…I know it ain’t easy…I get to worryin’ too…but my Momma always says that anythin’ worth doin’ is worth doin’ well…and I ‘most always listen to my Momma. So let’s practice some, yeah?” Jack pulled back slightly from their embrace to wink at Ennis, then moved in close and gave his neck a quick nuzzle, chuckling softly. Ennis closed his eyes and leaned into Jack’s touch, which turned from gentle nuzzle to playful nip as Jack began to push walk Ennis back toward a tall, full shade tree that had a soft cushion of grass beneath.

Sinking easily together on the green earth, Jack and Ennis faced each other and searched the other’s eyes for some measure of reassurance that this road they were thinking of venturing down together would be the right one. There could be no guarantees and certainly there would be many missteps, but at that moment neither man could imagine continuing on alone.

Jack sat up and urged Ennis to do the same, reaching across to unbutton and remove Ennis’ shirt before turning to his own and doing likewise. As Jack shrugged free of his shirt, Ennis smoothed his palms down Jack’s lightly muscled, smooth chest, pausing to tease his nipples before trailing down to his stomach, feeling Jack’s abdomen twitch slightly as Ennis’ hands continued their downward journey. Ennis deftly unsnapped Jack’s jeans and eased the zipper down, sliding his hand inside to release Jack’s stiffening cock and brush gently against his balls. Jack moaned and lifted his ass to help Ennis slide his jeans down to his ankles, and he quickly pulled his boots off to allow himself complete freedom from the restraint of clothes.

Ennis slowly stroked Jack’s length from base to tip, bending forward to dip his tongue into the slit which was already glistening with slick, and Jack looked at him with desire burning deep within his eyes and whispered, “Fuck me Ennis…I need to feel ya inside me…I need ya to fuck me hard, boy…I need to know that I’m not dreamin’… come take care of your man.” Ennis trembled at the words, and for a moment his reaction was so intense he thought he might climax just from those words alone, but he took a deep, calming breath and hastily removed his remaining clothes. As Ennis threw his jeans to the side, Jack grabbed him and pulled Ennis atop of his body, reaching down with both hands to grab Ennis’ ass tightly, adding a playful smack which caused Ennis to let out a yelp. “Watch it Twist! For someone about to get fucked, you’re actin’ a mite pushy.”

Ending with a growl, Ennis pounced on Jack roughly, starting a tussle that ended up with the boys rolling a few times, mouths joined, tongues wrestling, with Jack winding up on the bottom once again. “C’mon Ennis,” Jack broke away from the kiss breathlessly, smoothing Ennis’ curls back from his forehead, “don’t make me beg.” He reached back and grabbed Ennis’ hand from its resting place beneath his head, dragged his fingers into his mouth, and began sucking and stroking them with his tongue, thrusting his pelvis upward he reminded Ennis of their mutual need, and Ennis ground down in response, drawing moans from both men. Jack released Ennis’ fingers and drew his knees back, wantonly forcing Ennis’ dripping cock to drop into position nudging Jack’s hole as they again ground together.

Ennis reached between Jack’s spread legs and firmly, but gently thrust two fingers inside Jack, immediately hooking his fingers and locating Jack’s prostate in a heartbeat. Jack groaned happily, “Yeah, Ennis…hurry up…I want your cock…need ya deep inside me…c’mon boy!” Jack was shaking with need and he placed his hands on the back of Ennis’ neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss, showing Ennis with his tongue exactly how he wanted to be fucked.

Ennis, always eager to demonstrate that he was a quick learner, removed his fingers from Jack’s ass and replaced them with his now aching dick. Pushing past the first ring of muscle, Ennis moaned as the heat and tightness of Jack’s channel drew him in and surrounded his cock with intense yet pleasurable pressure. Jack thrust upward impatiently, causing Ennis’ control to slip dangerously, and Ennis grabbed at his balls briefly to stop himself from shooting too soon.

“Jack,” he panted against his lips, “lemme catch my breath or this’ll be over before we fuckin’ start.” Moaning in frustration, Jack co-operated, although he continued to suck and lick whatever piece of Ennis’ anatomy he could reach. When he’d reached his limit, he urged Ennis along with a bite to the chest, causing Ennis to hiss in pain until Jack soothed the reddened skin with a wet kiss. That bite distracted Ennis enough that after an experimental thrust he realized he had calmed enough to start fucking Jack in earnest.

For several minutes, the only sounds to be heard were those of moans, grunts, and curses, with the increasingly rapid slap of Ennis’ balls against Jack’s ass. As Jack held on tight to Ennis’ back, Ennis threw Jack’s legs over his shoulders and deepened his penetration. Reaching between their sweat slick bodies, Ennis began to fist Jack’s erection, the slick running freely and allowing Ennis to keep the pace even between cock and ass. Ennis felt Jack’s entire body stiffen and looked down to see a ribbon of come shoot from Jack’s dick, the heat and scent pushing him to the edge. When he felt Jack’s muscles tense around his still pounding cock, he fell over onto a cushion of pleasure, where he and Jack were the only residents, and the edges of his vision were bathed in a blinding white light. Spent and shaking, both from physical exertion and the euphoric rush of release, Ennis collapsed upon Jack, staying joined with him as he rolled them both to their sides.

Ennis soon softened and slipped out of Jack, but as one part of their bodies separated, Jack reached out and threaded their fingers together, bringing their joined hands to his mouth for a kiss. “Ennis?” he kept his mouth pressed to their hands. “Whut?” Ennis smiled over at his lover. “That was some mighty fine fuckin’, ya stud!” Jack pressed his forehead against Ennis’, tongue snaking down to lick at Ennis’ lips teasingly.

“Stud, huh?” Ennis smirked contentedly at Jack and rewarded Jack with a quick kiss. “Yeah, I guess I am some sort of a stud, ain’t I?”

“Well, just remember you’re my stud and I don’t aim to share ya with anyone, friend” And as Jack kissed the very tip of Ennis’ nose, the sun chased away the last of the morning mist, and held Ennis’ demons at bay, at least for a little while.


	7. Lay of the Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennis has been avoiding Jack and so Jack sets off to find his man. Hammock sex ensues.

Ennis stretched lazily and repositioned his hat more firmly over his face, trying to block the glare of the strong afternoon sunlight steadily beating down on him. He was lying half-naked next to the stream, letting the happy gurgling of the water as it raced over the river stones lull him into a twilight state of mind, aware of his surroundings yet not completely awake either. He had rigged up a makeshift hammock between two sturdy trees near the water’s edge using rope and some extra canvas, and he pushed off on the ground lightly with one foot, causing himself to gently sway and rock, cradled in what should have been a relaxing motion. He was bone tired and by rights should have been dead asleep. You see, contrary to Jack’s wishes, he had spent the past few nights wide awake, watching over the sheep, determined to take out the predators that had been skulking in the nearby woods, killing several of the flock recently while Ennis had been down in the main camp…sleeping with Jack.

Ennis, wracked with guilt over what he saw as his failure to protect that which he was responsible for keeping safe, had decided to be extra vigilant to make up for his previous sins. And so, he had stayed up with the sheep, alert and awake all night, endlessly patrolling the perimeters both on foot and on horseback, while an unhappy Jack stayed down at the main camp….frustrated and alone.

Not that Jack had given in quietly….no, Jack had been quite vocal about his displeasure, so much so that Ennis had taken to sneaking into the lower camp before sunrise, stealthily grabbing some biscuits and other supplies, and heading back out on foot, leaving his mount tethered in the woods a ways, so as not to tip Jack off with the sounds of hoof beats. Then, instead of heading directly back to the sheep meadow, Ennis would venture off on a different path, which is how he had located the spot where he was presently trying to catch a few hours sleep.

Ennis knew he was being a coward, but he hated his confrontations with Jack. They always seemed to spark each other off in the worst way, and nothing was ever accomplished or settled, just hurt feelings all around. Ennis’ Daddy had been a headstrong fellow like Jack, and whenever he had been on the receiving end of his Daddy’s displeasure, first chance he got, Ennis would run off and hide for a few hours, avoiding everyone until he felt enough time had passed, and his Daddy would be off chewing on someone else’s ass for a while.

Well, up here on the mountain, his was the only ass around, and although he knew Jack would catch up with him sooner or later, Ennis was going to avoid the consequences as long as he could. Ennis smiled grimly as he imagined the plans Jack might have for his ass when he finally did have to face him, and then shifted a bit as the thought caused his cock to give an interested twitch. Ennis sighed and cupped his erection roughly as he admitted to himself that by avoiding Jack he was also getting a mite too friendly with his hand, definitely a negative side effect of this whole situation.

Ennis felt himself drifting off into an uneasy sleep once again, the peaceful sounds of nature combining into a soothing backdrop as the hammock swayed gently and a cooling mountain breeze played over his heated skin.

In that twilight state of mind, halfway between awareness and oblivion, Ennis’ subconscious began to remove some of the barriers that he always kept firmly in place, and Ennis found himself dreaming that he was a bird, flying up high over the mountain, soaring toward the clouds, but firmly keeping one eye fixed on the ground below. As he circled, his keen eyesight caught a glimpse of the main camp, and Ennis flew lower as he recognized the familiar landscape, and the lone figure sitting desolately on a tree stump, kicking dejectedly at the dirt. Ennis spied a low branch on a nearby tree, and swooped down to perch on it, settling in as close as he could to observe Jack curiously.

“Goddamn Ennis Del Mar…pig-headed, stubborn, self-righteous jackass!” Jack was muttering under his breath, digging viciously into the dirt with the sharp end of a stick he clutched tightly in his hand. “Cares more about those stupid, smelly sheep than bein’ with me.”

“Jack…it ain’t like that, bud”, Ennis started, then quickly shut up when he realized he had let out a series of loud squawks instead of words.

“Well..what’s your problem then…ya damn noisy bird?” Jack’s attention had been caught by his raucous cries. “Ya got a pain in the ass boyfriend too?” Jack paused as though waiting for an answer, then continued, “Just great…now I’m talking to dumbass woodland critters….I hope your fuckin’ happy Ennis”, he was on his feet shouting now, “I’m talkin’ to the goddamn animals ‘cause of you…asshole.” Jack paused again, and cast a baleful glance at Ennis, still watching him with bird’s eyes. “Wish I had wings, then I could fly up real high, find Ennis’ hiding spot, and then go kick his ass for leavin’ me here all alone…and what are you staring at?” Jack threw up his hands in frustration and stormed off in the direction of the tent.

Ennis gazed steadily in the direction where Jack had stalked off, before opening his wings and taking flight again. Hearing Jack’s words, and seeing how upset he was at being abandoned, felt like a sucker punch to Ennis. Although one part of his brain knew he was simply dreaming, another deeper part of his being, knew that what he imagined was probably fairly close to reality, and Ennis felt the leaden cloud of guilt begin to weigh heavily on him again, causing him to spiral swiftly back down towards the earth as though he had suddenly forgotten how to fly.

As he approached land at a sickening speed, Ennis briefly wondered if it was true that if you didn’t wake up from a freefall in your sleep that you really would die upon impact, and with that he jolted awake and promptly fell out of the hammock, landing on his face in the dirt.

“Well now…if that wasn’t just the most graceful thing I’ve ever seen, Del Mar.” Ennis looked up, spitting dirt and gravel from his mouth, to see an amused, but obviously very annoyed, Jack Twist staring down at him, his eyes unreadable in the glare of the sun.

Ennis pushed himself to his feet, trying in vain to brush the worst of the mess from his chest and jeans, while Jack watched silently, not offering a helping hand, and most definitely not wearing his usual friendly smile.

Still trying to shake himself fully free of his dream, Ennis continued to stare mutely at Jack, afraid that if he opened his mouth, squawking bird noises would come sputtering out for real. Jack continued to glare at him, and after a few moments of silence, he snorted angrily and turned on his heel to walk more closely to the water’s edge. Jack stared at the sparkling patterns that the sunlight painted across the tiny ripples, teeth clenched and booted foot tapping impatiently.

Ennis cleared his throat nervously and opened his mouth to speak. But before he uttered a sound, Jack suddenly rounded on Ennis, stalking up to him and stepping right into his personal space, nose to nose.

“Ennis…what the hell is your problem?” Jack’s blue eyes sparked in fury, pinning Ennis’ gaze and refusing to let him look away. “I thought we had come to an understandin’…a meetin’ of the minds or some such shit…but I guess I was wrong.” Jack spun away from Ennis again, shoulders tense and breathing heavy, like he had just run a very long way, very quickly.

Ennis frowned at Jack’s back and bit his lip, hesitantly taking a small step forward, reaching a hand out to Jack’s shoulder, before letting his hand drop short of its goal, his brow furrowing more deeply in confusion. “Jack…bud…I’m..,” Ennis struggled with the words, mouth not co-operating with his brain.

“Ennis, if ya say you’re sorry I’m gonna knock ya on your ass!” Jack kept his back to Ennis and counted silently to ten. When he felt pretty confident that his fist and Ennis’ face weren’t going to have a close encounter, Jack slowly turned around to stare solemnly at his friend and lover, who stood before him looking so lost and confused that the cold anger that had been settling inside Jack, the dread that these past few days were only a grim preview of what a life with this man might really be like, began a gentle thawing.

Not for the first time, Jack wished he had a map of the difficult terrain that made up the essence of Ennis Del Mar, a lay of the land as it were. For no matter how many times Jack felt that they were securely on the road to having…something…beyond this summer…it seemed that without warning, Ennis would suddenly veer off in an unexpected direction, leaving Jack to try and track him down again, feeling like he was lost in a maze…like that house of mirrors he had tried out one year at the county fair.

With a deep sigh, Jack removed his hat and restlessly ran his fingers through his hair before he began to speak, “Ennis….do ya have any idea how worried I was about ya these past three days? It was like ya disappeared off the face of the earth, friend…only reason I didn’t panic was ‘cause I noticed the food and other stuff gone missin’, and I knew it was you who was takin’ it. I went up to the sheep meadow a coupla times, but now I guess I know why I didn’t find ya up there, neither.” Ennis was staring miserably at his feet by now, but he didn’t raise his head to meet Jack’s eyes.

“Look at me damnit…what in the hell happened, Ennis? When ya said ya needed to spend more time watching the sheep, I let ya be. I don’t remember us fightin’…shit... I left ya the other mornin’ in the sheep meadow with a smile on your face and a real nice burnin’ in my ass. So how come I been sleepin’ alone since then, talkin’ to myself, feelin’ like I lost my best friend, huh? Why, Ennis…I really need to know and, ‘ I’m sorry bud’, ain’t gonna cut it this time, boy!” By the time he had finished speaking, Jack’s anger had cranked itself back up near full throttle, especially when Ennis remained silent, still unable to meet his eyes.

Finally, as Jack began to feel despair starting to worm its way into his brain, Ennis looked up, his brown eyes a window into his tortured soul, his gaze brushing past Jack, settling on a point in the far horizon. Surprisingly, his first words came out in the form of a question. “Jack…what do ya want from me?”

“Wha…” Jack opened his mouth and snapped it shut just as quick, pausing for a moment to try to collect his thoughts and see if he could figure out where Ennis was heading and what possible dangers lay before him. What did he want from Ennis? Friendship…sure… companionship… a feeling of belonging… trust…acceptance…commitment….love??? Jack wanted it all…but could he accept whatever part of it Ennis was willing to give….even if it meant a whole lot of lonely days and nights like he had just endured? And what if Ennis was willing to give him nothing but this time on the mountain…what then? Could he really just say good-bye at summer’s end and go on alone…having had a taste of this sweet life?

Jack swallowed with difficulty, feeling like a brick had lodged itself permanently in his throat. He spoke quietly now, realizing he needed to get this right, because it might be the only chance he ever got from this man.

“Ennis, I want whatever ya can give me. I want to go to sleep with ya beside me, and I want to wake up next to ya every mornin’. I want to know that you’re happy, and that if you’re smilin’, it’s because of me. I want to explore every inch of your body with my tongue and memorize the way you taste and smell, so you’ll always be a part of me. That’s what I want from ya Ennis.” Jack took Ennis’ hand and squeezed it gently. “Now, turnabout is fair play Ennis…and I am askin’ ya now….what do ya think ya can give me?”

Ennis shifted his gaze from the neutral spot he had been focusing on since he asked Jack his question, and stared intently at their joined hands as though drawing strength from that simple touch.

“Jack…I want to give ya what you need…I truly do…bein’ here with ya…its been the best time of my life…and it’s hard for me to say this to ya…’cause I’ve missed ya somethin’ fierce these past few days. I know I’m a dumbass for hidin’ away from ya…but sometimes when I get to thinkin’ on the way things is between us…my brain just freezes up on me and when I try to see things the way ya do…’bout how things’ll go after…back down there…where other eyes can see us…,” Ennis looked up into Jack’s sincere gaze, “I’m sorry bud, but all I can see is blackness…don’t see no happy times like we got here…all I see is the end of the line for us…and I’m not foolin’.” 

Ennis reached out and touched Jack’s cheek lightly with the back of his hand, as though trying to take some of the sting out of his words. Jack leaned forward and pressed his lips close-mouthed upon Ennis’. He knew what Ennis’ speech had cost him and he recognized the truths contained within, but he also knew that what he and Ennis had found together was a rare and precious thing and he would not believe that they had been brought together only to be separated after a few short months. But, how to convince Ennis?

Jack placed his hand on the nape of Ennis’ neck and pulled him in closer, sliding his lips from Ennis’ mouth to his cheek and pausing there breathing gently against Ennis’ face, feeling desperation pulling at him even as Ennis’ scent enflamed his senses and started the familiar tug at his groin. He knew that sex didn’t solve anything, only postponed it for a while, but then Ennis moaned softly, either in desire or despair, and Jack knew that this was yet another conversation that would be put on hold, another victim consumed by their burning passion.

It had been three days since they had been together…the longest they had been apart since their affair’s violent start earlier in the summer, and what little control they had was shattered when Jack turned his head and claimed Ennis’ lips again, this time forcing Ennis’ mouth to open and roughly thrusting his tongue inside, gasping as Ennis grabbed at his ass and pushed their groins together, both of them already so close to exploding, with just that slight friction.

Jack smoothed his hands down Ennis’ naked back, scratching his ragged nails lightly along his skin, drawing a low growl from Ennis as he broke away from his mouth and bit him on the shoulder, letting Ennis know that Jack was taking control this time, and Ennis bared his neck to Jack in agreement…after all, Ennis was the cause of their forced celibacy and he believed in paying off all his debts in full…especially in these circumstances.

Jack looked up briefly from ravaging Ennis’ throat and spotted the hammock swaying in the summer breeze, a smirk crossing his face as he found the perfect place to demonstrate to Ennis once again, why they belonged together.

“C’mere Ennis,” Jack murmured in Ennis’ ear, pausing to lick his way down to his jaw as Ennis gazed at him fuzzily, struggling to focus long enough to see where they were heading. His eyes widened as they approached the hammock, and Jack smiled a little evilly as he saw Ennis catch on. “Now, we’re gonna both get naked here, right quick, and you,” he gave Ennis his most smoldering look, “are gonna wrap your arms in them ropes and straddle that hammock…and I….,” another heated glance and a lick of his lips, “am gonna ride you like a bull, Ennis Del Mar. What do ya think of that?”

“Jesus, Jack..,” Ennis looked like he wasn’t sure if he should make a run for it or just give in peacefully, but Jack wasn’t in the mood to negotiate and was already halfway to naked already, his expression leaving no doubt that if Ennis was lagging behind when he was ready, Jack would be more than happy to help speed him up. “Ya think that thing,” he nodded at the hammock, “is strong enough for us to fuck on it?”

“Well I surely hope so, Ennis, ‘cause your ass is gonna be mine, no matter where we gotta do it.” Ennis blushed and finished removing his jeans, his hard cock springing free and leaving no doubt that he had no objection to Jack’s take charge attitude. He obediently walked over to the hammock and straddled the canvas, taking the rope that tied it to the tree and wrapping his hands through it several times, effectively restraining himself and giving himself some balance as well.

The roughness of the canvas caused him to grind into it slightly, the friction giving him some relief from the ache that had settled heavily into his cock as the rope scratched against his arms. He looked behind him and saw Jack approaching slowly, slicking up his own erection with the balm he had retrieved from the saddlebag. Ennis had a feeling that Jack wasn’t gonna to be whispering sweet nothings in Ennis’ ear this time, and Ennis again rubbed himself against the canvas, moaning as he felt Jack’s weight begin to press down on the hammock behind him.

Ennis felt hands slide onto his hips as Jack settled himself onto the hammock, his cock slapping at Ennis’ ass as he pressed in close. Jack leaned over Ennis’ back, nuzzling into the back of Ennis’ hair, licking a trail from his nape to his spine, pausing to nip at any spots that caught his attention. Ennis felt Jack’s heat disappear briefly, before he felt a hot breath near his ass, and hands lifting him higher into the air. Ennis felt his cheeks being spread and the hot breath burned closer to his exposed hole. Ennis bit back a whimper as his cock and balls dangled a few inches from the canvas, missing the rough caress of the material even as he pushed himself up higher, offering his ass to Jack.

Jack slid further back on the hammock, settling himself between Ennis’ cheeks, tongue flickering out to circle Ennis’ hole, pushing slowly inside as Ennis squirmed beneath him, panting heavily, fingers tightening onto the ropes that bound him, giving himself up to the wicked pleasure of Jack’s mouth. Half-formed words and guttural noises emanated from deep within Ennis’ chest and lightning shot from his balls to his spine as Jack nipped at the puckered skin and then began thrusting inside, fucking his ass with his tongue until Ennis was sure he was going to pass out, overwhelmed by the sensations.

Jack laughed softly and Ennis felt Jack shift again, replacing his tongue with two slick fingers, that he immediately thrust past any resisting muscle in a quest for Ennis’ prostate, which he pegged quickly causing Ennis to buck up from the canvas like he had been touched by a live electrical wire.

“Shhh…whoa there friend…wait for me…save that for when I climb on board, stud.” Jack used his free hand to rub soothingly at Ennis’ sweating back for a moment before removing his fingers and lining his swollen cock up against Ennis’ relaxed hole. “Hold on tight, boy…here I come!” Jack grunted and buried himself balls deep in one thrust. Ennis let out a shout and bucked again, harder this time, nearly rolling the hammock over, before settling a little and pushing back against Jack’s weight, encouraging him to start pumping. Jack took a steadying breath and tried to still Ennis’ movement beneath him. “Ennis...” he moaned as the pressure in his balls subsided a little. “Wait…it’s been three goddamn days and I am real close right now…real close.” Jack screwed his eyes shut and struggled for control.

Ennis, although close to the edge himself, quieted at Jack’s words, and after a few deep breaths from both men, Jack grabbed on to Ennis’ hips and began to find his rhythm, hampered somewhat by the awkwardness of the hammock that swayed with each thrust. As Jack picked up speed and deepened his penetration, he felt his orgasm rapidly building and knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. Opening his eyes, he saw that Ennis appeared to be just as close to completion, judging by the way he was pressing his forehead into the pillow of his bound arms, and the incoherent sounds that filled the once peaceful forest glade.

“Yeah Ennis…that’s right…ya need this as much as I do, don’t ya?” Jack gritted his teeth and pounded away hard and fast, balls tightening as he felt his seed begin to empty deep within his lover’s ass. “You’re mine Ennis…mine…fuck!” Jack gave himself up to the ecstasy he could only find with the man beneath him, feeling lightheaded for a moment as his balls emptied and his eyes filled with unshed tears.

Ennis let out a shout and Jack felt Ennis’ muscles gently squeezing his cock as he shot his spunk onto the canvas, shuddering several times as the pleasure stretched out for several minutes, both men slowly catching their breath and laughing quietly.

“Holy Shit Ennis!” Jack gave Ennis a swat on the ass as his softening cock slipped out of his hole, “We need one of these fuckin’ hammocks at the camp, friend!” Jack reached up and untangled Ennis’ hands from the ropes, pausing to make sure the chafing was minor and no skin was abraded. Satisfied that no damage was done, Jack put his arms around Ennis’ waist and pulled him up towards him, grunting as they both landed on the opposite end of the hammock, Jack on the bottom, Ennis slightly off to the side.

Jack pressed a kiss into Ennis’ sweaty temple and spoke softly in his ear. “Ennis…ya asked me before what I needed from ya, and I told ya quite a few things and maybe that wasn’t bein’ fair to ya. I mean, I still want all them things I talked about, but I don’t need ‘em all at once, ya know?” Jack couldn’t see Ennis’ face but he knew he was listening intently, still relaxed but with a slight tenseness forming at Jack’s words.

“But if ya can see fit to keep on trustin’ me like ya done just now…I think we can get past all that other shit, Ennis…I really do. Promise me that when ya start feelin’ like your getting’ ready to bolt again, you’ll trust me enough to come to me and let me know. I won’t hold ya back or make ya stay if ya need to be alone for a bit, but don’t hide from me Ennis…’cause I’ll tell ya what friend… keep runnin’ and you’ll be the death of me, boy.”

Ennis reached up to where Jack’s strong arms were cradled around his chest and he grabbed on tight and squeezed, unable to give voice to the promise Jack sought, but as Jack pressed another kiss into Ennis’ hair, he knew that Jack had heard him nonetheless.


	8. Closer to the Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennis tries to overcome his demons with Jack's help.

Ennis dismounted and walked slowly around the deserted camp. The fire pit was cold, its ashes a dismal gray, and he crouched down before it, idly sifting a hand through the cinders as though searching for a clue as to where the absent camp tender had wandered.

Straightening up, Ennis brushed his soot stained hand across his jeans clad thigh before slowly raising his thumb to his mouth, where he began to anxiously nibble on a non-existent hangnail. Crossing over to their tent, he stooped down to peer inside, frowning as a quick glance revealed it to be totally devoid of any signs of life. Nothing appeared to be missing or unusually out of place…but the utter emptiness caused a huge knot of fear to form in Ennis’ gut.

“Where in the hell are ya, Jack?” he whispered miserably, backing away from the tent so quickly he almost stumbled and fell, his imagination immediately feeding him numerous scenarios, all of which ended with Jack’s death and Ennis’ being abandoned again…this time for forever.

For although Ennis played his cards close to his vest, the truth was that Jack Twist had shoved his way into Ennis’ life…no holds barred…and had quickly become as vital to him as his heartbeat. Ennis could not yet name the emotion that flourished between them, and perhaps never would…but at this moment Ennis knew that if he let his fears overwhelm him now, the light of hope that had begun to flicker within him each time Jack smiled at him would be snuffed out…and he would be well and truly lost.

Undecided as to what course of action he should pursue, Ennis wandered aimlessly from one side of the clearing to the other, glancing at his horse as if considering whether he should begin to search the area on horseback or head down the narrow path to the stream on foot. He knew that staying in camp waiting was for shit and if he didn’t otherwise occupy his thoughts soon, he might slide right from concern into full fledged panic.

Now, it was still light out and sunset should be another two hours away, but to Ennis’ uneasy brain, it may have well been the middle of the night. There was nothing to suggest anything was amiss, other than the fact that Jack, who was always there to greet him with a friendly smile, and a quick kiss, for the first time since they switched duties, wasn’t there.

As Ennis paced nervously, chewing on his bottom lip and muttering to himself, he couldn’t help but feel that he had once again been abandoned, this time most cruelly, because this time, he would have been left behind by choice. “No,” he whispered angrily, “Jack wouldn’t do that…he ain’t like that. If he ain’t here it’s ‘cause somethin’ happened to him….somethin’ real bad.”

“More like he left ya, ‘cause ya do unnatural things together, boy!” Ennis heard his Daddy’s voice hiss at him, hate-filled and disgusted. “Yer a fuckin’ queer, boy…my goddamn flesh and blood, a cock-suckin’ freak a nature.”

“Shut up!” Ennis yelled out, closing his eyes tight and rubbing his temples viciously, as though self-inflicted pain would exorcise the ghost of his Daddy once and for all from his brain. “Jack ain’t like that,” he repeated more firmly, “he’s my friend and he wouldn’t never just leave without lettin’ me know….you’re wrong Daddy!”

“Friend?” his Daddy’s voice sneered, although it seemed to Ennis to be fading out, “Is that what ya call it? Son, yer a faggot and if ya stay with that queer boy, yer both gonna end up in a ditch…just like Earl.” Ennis gave his head a violent shake and told his Daddy to fuck off, Jack needed him and he’d be damned if he was going to hang around and be haunted when Jack was missing.

Swinging into the saddle, Ennis grabbed the reins and was just wheeling around to head back to the trail that led down the mountain when he heard something…something that sounded a whole hell of a lot like a fucking harmonica. Ennis narrowed his eyes and once again dismounted, relief warring with rage as Jack cleared the trees and headed directly toward Ennis.

“Ennis,” Jack shouted out happily as he placed the abused harmonica in his pocket. “Are ya down early,” he paused when he saw the expression on Ennis’ face, “Or am I late?” he finished uneasily, his welcoming smile dimming down from dazzling to concerned as he swung himself out of the saddle to stand before Ennis.

Ennis, who had been ready to explode in anger, surprised himself…and Jack…by reaching out and pulling his friend into a bear hug, hiding his face in Jack’s neck and breathing in his scent, all the while whispering, “Jack…Jack…ya came back.”

Jack returned the embrace full measure, not sure why he wasn’t flat on his back from a punch instead of being nuzzled to death by his normally gruff companion, but Jack never was one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he put his lips to Ennis’ ear and murmured, “Hey know, Ennis….what’s this all about?”

Ennis allowed himself to lean into Jack’s touch for a moment, before stiffening and pulling away, his face closed off, and his eyes to the ground. “Just thought somethin’ was wrong…ya weren’t here ….and I…well…ya know…” Ennis was mumbling, kicking at the dirt, unable to complete his explanation now that he knew Jack was safe.

Jack studied his tongue tied friend, who was obviously relieved to see him, but unable to convey his feelings verbally. Jack placed a gentle hand on a tense shoulder. “Ennis,” he spoke softly, almost as if speaking to a child, “were ya worried about me?”

Ennis’ shoulder beneath Jack’s hand relaxed almost imperceptibly, and his restless foot stilled. He suddenly looked up at Jack, and grimaced slightly, “Yeah…dumbass…I figured ya went and got yourself throwed by that mare again…or maybe come upon that bear like I done last month…or maybe ya just decided…” Ennis snapped his mouth shut, and turned to his horse, quickly busying himself with straightening the saddle, hands stilling as he felt Jack’s heat close behind him.

“Maybe I just decided what, Ennis?” asked Jack, his breath hot on the back of Ennis’ neck.

“Nothin’.” Ennis muttered, hands nervously smoothing up and down his horse’s flank. “Just worried is all.”

“Ok…ok…I been there too, so I can understand bein’ worried somethin’ happened when ya get here and I’m not here like normal…,” Jack moved away from Ennis and circled to the other side of the horse, forcing Ennis to meet his slightly narrowed eyes. “But I get the feelin’ that ya thought I took off on ya….that maybe I just decided to leave….just fuckin’ run off without a word and leave ya here all alone?” Jack was sounding angry and now that the words had been spoken, Ennis felt foolish for even thinking for one little minute that his friend would do something like that. But Jack wasn’t done yet. “Just what kind a man ya think I am, Ennis? How many times I got to tell ya we belong together before you’ll believe me?”

Ennis went to turn away again, but Jack reached out over the saddle and grabbed his arm before he could move. “No Ennis….no fuckin’ way are ya dodging me again. Last time ya got this way, I didn’t see ya for three goddamn days! Shit, I’m the one who should be wondering when you’re gonna disappear without a word, leaving me behind.” As Jack spoke, he tightened his grip on Ennis’ arm, ignoring the pointed glare that Ennis aimed at his hand.

“Alright Jack,” Ennis wrenched his arm from Jack’s grasp and moved around the horse to face Jack with no barriers between them. “Whatya want me to say? Ya want me to say that I was scared when I got here and the fire’s out and the tent’s empty and it don’t look like no one’s been here since yesterday?” Ennis had paled and there was a muscle twitching steadily next to his clenched jaw. “It spooked me, bud, spooked me bad, and that ain’t an easy thing for me to admit.”

Jack had put his head down when Ennis had first broken away from his hold, but as Ennis spoke, Jack had slowly raised his head a little at a time, until by the end of Ennis’ speech, he was studying him almost shyly from beneath his eyelashes. “Ennis, I am truly sorry I caused ya any worries today, but I swear to ya, I would never leave ya without saying good-bye. We’re friends ain’t we?” Jack waited a beat, and then satisfied at Ennis’ nod, shifted closer and smiled at him. “Yeah, that’s right Ennis…we’re best friends.” And he pulled Ennis into a fierce hug, rubbing his hands in smooth, firm circles on Ennis’ back, as Ennis clutched at him just as tightly.

As they continued to hold the embrace, the smile on Jack’s face remained, but a shadow appeared in his eyes, as he wondered how Ennis would react if he knew that Jack may indeed soon be leaving the mountain…and Ennis…many weeks ahead of schedule.

Jack cleared his throat, gave Ennis’ back a last reassuring pat, and backed away from him. “Well…guess I’d best be getting’ that fire started so we can have us some supper, huh?” and I can try to break it to ya gently, friend.

They worked together in a companionable silence, each focused on the tasks at hand, yet each aware of the other in a way that matched the comforting glow of the newly lit fire. They sat closely together to share the evening meal, not touching, but joined just the same, Jack keeping the flow of conversation steady, amusing Ennis with tall tales of the rodeo, trying to outdo himself each time he was rewarded with the elusive Del Mar grin.

After supper and clean up, Jack produced the whiskey bottle with a flourish, offering it grandly to Ennis as if he were the waiter in a fancy restaurant, Ennis accepting with a wink and a nod, causing Jack’s heart to flutter and his cock to fill with desire. It seemed that the firelight and the moon were conspiring to arrange the perfect backdrop for seduction, and Jack felt the pull between them become stronger as the night progressed and the whiskey flowed.

As the bottle passed with increasingly clumsy frequency, Jack caught himself licking his lips hungrily between pulls, irresistibly drawn closer to Ennis, even as he fuzzily struggled to remember that he needed to have a “serious” talk with Ennis about…something. He caught Ennis staring at his lips just then, and suddenly Jack knew that whatever needed discussing could wait until daylight…right now he wasn’t too interested in using his mouth to talk.

Jack swallowed hard and held the nearly empty whiskey bottle out to Ennis, his breath catching in a quiet gasp as Ennis grabbed his wrist and pulled both the bottle and Jack’s hand up to his mouth, taking an exaggerated mouthful and then leaning in to claim Jack’s mouth in a deep kiss, sharing the fiery liquid between them sloppily, causing Jack to moan at the unexpected intimacy derived from the action.

Head swimming from more than just the alcohol now, Jack snaked his free hand behind Ennis’ neck, pressing their lips more firmly together, sliding himself closer to Ennis until he felt the warmth of his lover’s thighs rubbing steadily against him. Breaking their kiss and bringing the bottle up to his lips once more, Ennis’ gaze burned into Jack’s soul as his mouth slid from the bottle and engulfed Jack’s fingers in the hot wetness of his mouth.

“Jesus…,” Jack groaned as Ennis began to suckle his fingers, eyes never straying from Jack, “What the hell’s got into ya tonight?”

Ennis released his fingers with a moist pop, leaning in with whiskey scented breath, pausing before he claimed Jack’s mouth again to growl, “Think ya got that wrong, bud, it’s what’s getting’ into you tonight that’s the right question.”

Jack answered with a growl of his own, and with an aggressive push, he toppled Ennis backwards and quickly straddled his hips, hands clawing at Ennis’ shirt as he searched for naked skin, eyes glowing with the firelight and intoxication, grinding their cocks together, roughly causing a matched set of grunts at the sudden friction.

“C’mon Ennis…,” Jack felt as though he were burning up with a fever, desire like a living thing trying to scratch it’s way out from his stomach. “Need ya so much…want ya so much…” He was licking and biting desperately at Ennis’ lips and neck as his restless hands impatiently unbuttoned first Ennis’, then his own shirt, removing both and flinging them aside carelessly. Ennis twitched and arched beneath him as he stroked and scraped his hands up and down Ennis’ chest, pausing to pinch and tug at Ennis’ nipples, closely followed by his desperate lips and seeking tongue.

Riding Ennis’ cock through the rough denim fabric, Jack reached between them and squeezed Ennis’ balls, none too gently, causing the other man to catch his breath harshly and grab at Jack’s fisted hand, all the while continuing to buck into Jack’s groin, muttering sounds that could have been mistaken for either prayer or obscenities. Jack eased off of Ennis’ erection to concentrate on releasing snaps and zippers and released a sigh as he felt the cool night air on his heated cock, and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching down and stroking his own length, spreading the slick that glistened there from crown to root.

Ennis watched Jack through lowered lids, panting heavily as Jack threw his head back and groaned loudly as each stroke brought him closer to completion. Grabbing his own now naked and dripping cock, he mimicked his partner’s actions, stroking firmly and feeling his own orgasm beginning to build as the pre-cum weeped steadily from his slit.

Jack paused in his masturbation to eye Ennis hungrily and when he saw his desire mirrored in Ennis’ hot gaze, he slid down just far enough to bring their cocks together, surrounded by their moist fists. Both men dropped their eyes to watch their dicks slide together, pistoning in and out of their combined hands, and shuddered together as their passion spilled over and white swirls of cum coated Ennis’ stomach and chest.

As their breathing slowed and their panting lessened, Ennis pulled Jack onto his glistening chest and rubbed their bodies together, spreading the sticky seed and inhaling deeply the musky scent of their releases. 

Mouths joined again this time in deep, lazy kisses, both men felt their spinning heads begin to quiet, tongues rubbing together less urgently, but neither willing to break the contact. Jack brought his hands up to cup Ennis’ jaw gently, stroking over the light stubble and moving upward to caress his sweaty curls, pushing them back off his forehead.

No words were spoken and there was no rush to separate, and Ennis kept his arms tightly wrapped around Jack, palming his back from shoulder to ass, until finally, Jack slid off to one side and they both drifted off into a peaceful, sated sleep, still firmly joined as though daring anything to come between them. The harsh light of day may have been mere hours away, with all of its insecurities and trials, but the night belongs to lovers, and Ennis and Jack remained cradled in that protective darkness, a gentle smile settled on both of their faces.


	9. Midnight Epiphany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wakes up in the middle of the night with an armful of naked cowboy.

In the silken darkness Jack awoke, skin caressed by a gentle mountain breeze, patterns of golden moonlight playing near the entrance to the tent, bathing the camp in an otherworldly glow. Still drifting back from that place where his subconscious sent him, Jack took a moment to collect his thoughts, and chase away the disquieting threads of a nightmare he could never quite recall with any accuracy, but knew instinctively that in this case ignorance was indeed bliss.

Huffing out a quiet sigh, Jack’s mind focused on a much happier train of thought as he realized he had awakened with that rarest of treasures, an armful of naked cowboy, back snuggled tightly up against his chest, ass pressing firmly up against Jack’s rapidly awakening dick, Ennis’ hands lightly clasping Jack’s forearm which was slung protectively across his stomach. “Oh yeah!” Jack sighed to himself as he moved his face closer to the nape of Ennis’ neck and took a deep, intoxicating breath, “There ain’t no finer way to wake up, no way, no how.”

Unable to resist temptation, Jack brushed his lips against Ennis’ shoulder and allowed the hand that rested on Ennis’ stomach to travel slightly downward, ending in a feathery caress of Ennis’ partially erect cock. The combined contact caused a soft shudder to travel through Ennis’ still sleeping body, and a small hitch in his previously even breathing gave some clue that he may be on the verge of awakening. Jack gave a near silent moan as his hand once again brushed Ennis’ dick on the upstroke, and his hips pressed his erection into the crack of Ennis’ ass, even as he admonished himself to behave and let his lover remain peacefully asleep.

“Uhmmm…” he moaned quietly, losing himself to the pleasurable friction made sweeter by the drops of his slick that coated Ennis’ ass and formed a smoothly gliding path for his throbbing cock to travel. As Ennis restlessly shifted in his sleep, Jack bit back a louder groan and pressed his forehead against Ennis’ back, controlling with great difficulty the urge to plunge himself deeply within the sleeping man, knowing that as wake up calls went, that would be just too brutal.

Instead, he moved the arm that was still slowly stroking from Ennis’ stomach to groin onto Ennis’ thigh, and smiled widely against Ennis’ back as the leg pulled up at his touch, giving him complete access to Ennis’ puckered hole. Although he suspected Ennis was now awake enough to have given Jack his silent permission to fuck him, Jack didn’t like to assume when it came to penetration, so he breathed a gentle “Hey,” in Ennis’ ear, and added an equally gentle nudge where his cock rested impatiently against Ennis’ hole.

Ennis responded by reaching behind himself to grip Jack’s cheek, and twisting his torso just enough that he could press his lips firmly against Jack’s, his tongue snaking out to caress the inside of Jack’s mouth, his ass acknowledging Jack’s waiting cock by sliding teasingly past the waiting hardness. “Hey yourself,” he rumbled back, eyes still closed, but a soft smile playing upon his face. “Ya needin’ somethin’ there, bud?” he teased, raising his leg higher toward his chest, and pushing his ass back, causing Jack to catch his breath as the tip of his cock dipped shallowly into Ennis’ hole.

Jack captured Ennis’ face in his hand and held their lips together, forcing Ennis’ mouth to open and pushing his tongue deep inside, giving Ennis a preview of just what it was he needed.

“Yeah, I’m needin’ somethin’, Ennis…ya gonna help me out here, be a friend?” Jack was murmuring against their joined lips, punctuating each phrase with a stroking tongue, swallowing Ennis’ groans as he thrust his hips eagerly towards Ennis’ crack.

Ennis broke away from their kiss, turning once more onto his side, pillowing his head on his arm, and holding his bended leg high up in place on his chest with his other arm, his position leaving no doubt that he was inviting Jack to take control of their coupling. Jack reached over Ennis’ body to scoop up a generous handful of the balm they left next to the bedroll, and stroked a good amount on his aching cock. He then smeared more around Ennis’ twitching entrance before slowly pushing his finger past the resisting muscle, pressing a soothing kiss on Ennis’ back as he instinctively stiffened at the intrusion. Once Jack’s finger was completely inserted he began to move it, feeling Ennis gasp and then immediately relax as Jack brushed past his prostate before quickly adding a second finger, being sure to stretch Ennis as thoroughly as possible, Jack knowing that Ennis had a much harder time both mentally and physically accepting penetration.

He removed his fingers to stroke Ennis’ hip soothingly, lining himself up with Ennis’ entrance before beginning to slowly press his way in, reaching over to wrap his fist around Ennis’ dripping length, distracting Ennis enough to push through the first ring of muscle with a breathless grunt. Once past this point, Jack was able to slide steadily inside, the sideways position an unfamiliar yet much more penetrating one, and Jack had to hold completely still as he felt his control slip as the tight, warm passage engulfed him and Ennis let out a low groan urging him to move…godamnit!

When he felt the need to shoot die down to a controllable level, Jack renewed his grasp on Ennis’ hip and tentatively began to push up into the heavenly warmth that was his lover, grunting steadily as he increased the speed and power of his thrusts. “Ennis,” he panted, “so tight…so deep…so fuckin’ good.” And he struggled to keep his rhythm even, although Jack figured this was one battle he was fated to lose, especially with Ennis writhing beside him, mouth open, eyes squinted shut, sweat causing both of their bodies to glisten in the moonlight.

A deep, guttural, almost unnatural sound from Ennis gave Jack pause for a brief moment, unsure if the unfamiliar sound was one of pain or pleasure, but there was no mistaking the warm liquid that sprayed Jack’s hand, or the muscles that tightened convulsively on his sheathed cock, dragging him over the edge and into a familiar feeling of freefalling that he could never recapture any other way, no matter how hard he tried.

_“Oh God…Ennis…I love ya!”_ Jack had heard of an epiphany…shit, it seemed like every time he turned around someone at his Momma’s Pentecostal Church would be dropping to the floor in convulsions, later claiming to have had a life altering epiphany…and Jack had felt his Momma’s wrath more than once for his ill concealed amusement at the expense of the newly saved soul, but damned if that wasn’t the closest explanation he had for the lightning bolt that shot through his brain as he bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood, trying to keep those beautiful words from falling from his lips and into the ears of the man who wasn’t ready to hear them. 

When he became aware of his surroundings again, and was able trust himself to speak, Jack slipped from Ennis’ passage, mourning the loss of that perfect heat and pulled Ennis over, clasping him tightly to his chest as he met with no resistance from the other man. “Did I hurt ya?” he asked tentatively, unable to see Ennis’ face which he had crushed up against him, and uneasy at the stillness of his lover beside him.

Jack held his breath as Ennis pulled away slightly and smiled shyly into his eyes, turning Jack’s soul inside out and putting to rest any doubts he had about Ennis’ reaction to this most recent bout of lovemaking. “Naw,” Ennis mumbled almost inaudibly, “Jesus Jack…I come like a damn freight train.” And with that he laughed, and put his hands up to Jack’s face to brush the sweaty hair from his brow. “”sides…ya were the one that done all the work this time…I just got to enjoy the ride.”

Jack let himself drown in Ennis’ eyes for a few stolen seconds more, giddily taking advantage of whatever post-orgasmic high they were both feeling, knowing that this shared euphoria couldn’t last, and he leaned in to take a kiss, “Yeah, Ennis Del Mar,” he whispered as he released his lips, “that was one hell of a ride.” And he pulled Ennis in closely to his chest again, feeling drowsiness begin to overtake him, and as he drifted off he felt a pair of warm lips press gently against his chest, right over his heart.


	10. Something to Believe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe Aguirre has some news from home for Jack. Ennis struggles to accept the sudden change of plans.

Jack squinted against the strength of the midmorning summer sun, his gaze searching uneasily across the pasture as he tried to pinpoint Ennis’ location. He had taken the better part of the morning struggling with his conscience in the main camp, before deciding to bite the bullet and head up to the sheep meadow to break the news to his partner that his summer may have ended about a month sooner than expected.

Now, Jack was no coward, after all he was a fucking bull rider, but as any rodeo cowboy can tell you, sometimes the ones that throw you the hardest are the quiet ones, and Jack thought as he swallowed nervously, “Ya don’t run across much quieter than Ennis Del Mar.”

Finally catching sight of his target, Jack swung around, and nudged his horse onward at a smart clip into the wide open spaces of the pasture, a grim smile plastered on his face.

Ennis whistled sharply at a straying ewe and her baby, neatly guiding them back into the herd, his body seeming one with his mount in the backdrop of the clear Wyoming sky. He turned with a wide smile on his face as he saw Jack swiftly approaching. “Hey Jack!” he shouted, as he lifted an excited hand in greeting, “It’s about time ya got up here…thought maybe I wore ya out or somethin’!”

Jack’s breath caught and he wished he had a camera so he could capture the rare glimpse of happiness his partner exhibited at that moment in time. Jack felt his smile slip further at the unexpectedly cheerful words from the man who less than a month ago, defined the words taciturn and withdrawn. He cursed the God that had answered his prayers in bringing Ennis into his lonely life, forging a love between them where none had been expected, only to be cruelly ripping them apart with that bond apparent to both, but as of yet unspoken. He imagined that they were two magnets irresistibly drawn to each other, and wondered as the thought crossed his mind what distance that pull would be able to transcend once they left this mountain and this summer behind.

“Hey Jack!” Ennis called out again as he approached, a shyer smile on his face, his pleasure at seeing Jack evident in his warm eyes and peaceful demeanor. “A little early for lunch, isn’t it?”

Jack quickly blinked as his vision blurred with hot tears, suddenly realizing that it was vital that his composure in the next few minutes be as calm as possible so as not to startle Ennis and cause him to close himself off from Jack and any hope of a future together. “I can do this,” he thought fiercely, “I want ya, Ennis Del Mar…I want us to be together…always…and I am not gonna let nothin’ tear us apart…especially not that bastard Joe Aguirre!”

 

Squeezing his boots into his horse’s sides, Jack quickly closed the distance between them, pulling up alongside Ennis, leaning in to grip the back of Ennis’ neck and forcing a hard kiss on his startled lover’s lips. Settling back in his saddle, Jack felt a glimmer of satisfaction at the bemused expression that flickered across Ennis’ features, and raised his hand jauntily to push his cowboy hat further back on his head. “That feel like I’m worn out, Mr. Ennis ‘I am such a stud’ Del Mar?” Jack leered, licking his lips, unwittingly drawing Ennis’ attention to his mouth, but not quite meeting his lover’s gaze.

Ennis’ brows drew together in a frown at Jack’s unusually aggressive behavior, but he didn’t comment, waiting for a signal from Jack as to what was weighing on his mind. “Ennis,” Jack said uneasily, his eyes sweeping the horizon restlessly, “We need to talk, friend.” Ennis felt the first trace of panic tightly clutch his bowels, because while Jack seeking him out to spend the day with him was not an unusual occurrence, something about his overall appearance was triggering an unpleasant reaction nonetheless.

“Talk ‘bout what exactly, Jack?” Ennis challenged, having decided to take the offensive in an effort to shield himself from what sure as hell felt like bad news brewing. His thoughts raced back to an occasion just a few months past when his brother KE began a conversation with him in a similar manner, the outcome being Ennis finding himself out on his ass, all alone, with all his worldly possessions fitting into one pathetic brown bag, a fucking orphan once again.

He felt the bile rising in his throat at the unwelcome memory and wondered if this was to be the irony of his life’s story, finding shelter from his loneliness only to be condemned to be constantly abandoned. He choked off a gag at the thought that this scenario would play out yet again, but with Jack….his best friend, as the catalyst.

Ennis felt familiar walls begin to rise, preparing to blot out what would surely be the worst pain he had ever felt in a young life already fraught with tragedy. He swung down from the saddle and struck a defensive pose even as he wanted to drag Jack from his own mount and hug him tightly against his chest, protecting them both from the cruel world that existed away from their isolated mountain.

“Fuck it!” he thought as he strode over to Jack and proceeded to follow through with his initial plan of action, pulling Jack clumsily from the horse and into his waiting arms. “Jesus, Ennis,” Jack sputtered against Ennis’ neck where he found himself crushed and momentarily immobilized by two strong arms, “What the hell are ya doin’, boy?”

Ennis closed his eyes against a sudden stinging and loosened his hold on Jack, being sure to nuzzle and sniff at Jack’s hair before he backed off slightly, unwilling to break off all contact until he heard what Jack had to say. He drew a shaky breath into his lungs wishing he had a cigarette in his hands to keep them occupied.

“What’s wrong Jack? Don’t play no fuckin’ games with me…just come on out and tell me…whatever it is ya got to tell me!” Ennis was trying to sound confident and in control, but he was only confident in the fact that he was coming across as a horse’s ass, played for a fool yet again.

Jack glanced worriedly at his friend, unsure of the best way to continue in the face of Ennis’ hostility, especially since up until now…to his mind…the conversation hadn’t even started.

Drawing upon an inner strength he had used throughout his life to survive his father’s physical and emotional abuses, Jack pulled Ennis back into a tight embrace, bracing himself for a violent reaction, but after feeling Ennis stiffen slightly and then huff out a sighing breath, he smoothed a hand through blond curls, and started to speak softly against Ennis’ ear, akin to the manner he whispered to his mare when she was acting jumpy and high strung. Knowing he had won only a brief respite from his partner’s frustration, Jack decided the situation called for a swift and honest disclosure on his part.

“Ennis,” Jack whispered, keeping his hand softly against the back of Ennis’ head, and his lips pressed gently to his ear, “Slow down, boy…let’s just take this down a notch and work this out together. Yeah…I’ve got some bad news…but it doesn’t have to be the end of the world for us.” At that, Jack paused, trying to gauge Ennis’ reaction, being slightly encouraged when Ennis stood back slightly, a small shudder the only other movement Jack could detect. “Ok...” he thought, “you’ve got his attention and he’s gonna at least hear ya out before he goes apeshit on your ass, Jack…so spit it out!”

“I…um…had an unexpected visitor this morning after you left camp, Ennis,” he started calmly, “Less than five minutes after ya left as a matter of fact,” he thought ironically, “and wasn’t that a fuckin’ coincidence?” Jack shivered slightly, remembering the icy chill that moved up his spine as he saw Joe Aguirre ride into the clearing, his eyes widening at the sight of the binoculars that bounced against Aguirre’s chest as he approached Jack, familiar sneer firmly in place.

Jack had stood there quietly, wiping his sweaty brow with the back of his left arm, his right arm grasping the axe handle nervously, as he waited for Aguirre to speak.

“Well Twist, you’re just the piece of shit I was looking for!” Aguirre had smirked as he cleared his throat and spit in Jack’s direction, missing his boots by inches. “Where’s your blond buddy?”

Jack had glanced in the direction of the high pasture, certain that Ennis was not yet there, but knowing that even with the binoculars Joe wouldn’t be able to see much of anything anyway. “Ennis is exactly where he should be, Mr. Aguirre.” Jack turned his head to meet Aguirre’s gaze steadily, refusing to feel intimidated by the older man. “And when this summer is over and we leave this mountain and your precious sheep behind, he’s gonna keep on being where he belongs…with me!” Jack had wisely kept his thoughts to himself, as much as he’d like to fling the words like weapons at the openly sneering man.

“What brings ya back up here this time? My uncle taken a turn for the worse?” Jack wanted nothing more than for Aguirre to spit out whatever information he had for him and get the hell away from their camp, the place that Jack had taken to thinking of being the home he shared with Ennis.  
“As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what your Momma sent me here to tell ya.” Aguirre began, giving Jack the evil eye. “Your uncle ain’t ‘spected to make it, and she wants your sorry ass home right away. Seems as though your uncle wants ya to take over his spread after he’s gone. Never mind how it’s gonna leave me short-handed for the rest of the summer. I reckon you’ll be more concerned about how your partner up there in the meadow is gonna spend all them lonely nights now.” Aguirre, who had never dismounted, towered over Jack threateningly. “And the way I figger it, you boys found plenty of ways to make life interesting up here this summer, didn’t ya?” He straightened back up in the saddle and started to turn away, “ Yeah, the way I figger it, ya better plan on being down at the trailer early tomorrow mornin’ , ‘cause later in the day, I may have some friends stoppin’ by and they ain’t as understandin’ as I am about ‘things’.”

Jack had quickly reached out a hand and grabbed the horse’s bridle, stopping Aguirre before he could ride off. “Mr. Aguirre, Ennis is a good man, and I don’t give a shit what ya think about me, but I would appreciate your makin’ sure none of them friends of yours are there to meet him at the end of the summer.” Jack unconsciously tightened his hand on the axe he was still holding, and Aguirre caught the motion and his eyes briefly flickered uneasily.

“Tell ya what, Twist,” Aguirre had said quickly, “Ya make sure this is a one shot thing, and that boy’ll have nothin’ to worry about. ‘Cause I know where your uncle’s ranch is, son, and what I know, my friends know too. We clear?”

Jack had grit his teeth and let go of the bridle. “Yeah, we’re clear. I’ll see ya at the trailer first light tomorrow.” Without another word or glance, Jack returned to splitting the wood, wishing somehow it was Aguirre’s ugly head on the block. But as soon as he could no longer hear Aguirre’s horse, he stopped and dropped to his knees, covering his face with both hands, knowing that time had just about run out for him and his plans for that sweet life.

“Jack…Jack…what’s wrong?” Jack shook his head, returning his thoughts to the present, suddenly realizing that Ennis had him by the shoulders and was shaking him none too gently. He blinked at Ennis and cleared his throat. “Finish what ya were saying…ya had a visitor this morning…?” Ennis looked at Jack with an expression that was half-worried and half-wary, relaxing a little when he saw that Jack was focusing on him again and appeared to be ready to continue.

“Um…yeah…Joe Aguirre showed up bringing some news from my Momma.” Jack saw Ennis frown and decided to get to the point. “It seems that my uncle is not expected to recover and I need to go back to take care of things.”

Ennis’ frown deepened. “So when ya gonna leave, Jack?” Ennis’ eyes snapped back up to Jack’s face, jaw already tightening in anticipation of the answer.

“Well…I’d be leaving tomorrow morning before first light to catch a ride back down to town…get an early start…ya know?” Jack was watching Ennis’ expression carefully, trying to decide if he was going to need to duck and run, or stay and comfort. He knew from past experience that Ennis was unpredictable when feeling threatened, and Jack was pretty sure this situation fell into that category.

Ennis, for his part, was desperately trying to process the information Jack had just given him, his mind numbly searching for a glimmer of hope in what appeared to be a shitload of bad news, just like he’d feared. Afraid his suddenly trembling legs were going to fail him, Ennis sank heavily to the ground, eyes still locked on Jack’s face. “Ya leavin’ me Jack?” he whispered brokenly, aware but unable to mask the break in his voice.

Jack felt his heart breaking at the despair he saw on Ennis’ face, and the fact that he was the one that put it there was only making him feel worse. Impulsive as ever, Jack made a split second decision right then and there to do whatever it took to see his man happy again.

“Aw Ennis!” Jack moaned as he sank down next to his lover. “It ain’t like that, it ain’t like that at all!” Jack grabbed Ennis’ hands from his lap and gripped them tightly, trying to convey through touch all that his heart felt for the stricken man before him. “It’s true I gotta go, my momma said my uncle is leaving the care of his ranch to me, but Ennis…” Jack paused here and stared as deeply into Ennis’ eyes as he could, “ya gotta believe me when I say that this..thing…” he held up their clasped hands to eye level, “It ain’t over between us, not by a long shot my friend.” As he pressed a kiss to the hand that strongly returned his grasp, Jack saw the slightest flicker of hope try to ignite in Ennis’ gaze.

“I am not leaving ya, Ennis Del Mar!” Jack promised fiercely, “Yes, I have to go, and ya have to stay here for now, but it is not forever! Because when this summer is over, I expect ya to come and find me, and we will take the time that is being stolen from us now to try and make a life for ourselves off this mountain.”

Jack saw the glimmer of hope in Ennis’ eyes fade as fear took hold and Jack spoke to Ennis sharply, knowing he had very little time to slip in before the iron walls of Ennis’ paranoia slammed down tightly. “Ennis, ya owe at least that much to me…to us.” He dropped their still clutching hands and placed a palm on either side of Ennis’ face, forcing the other man to meet his gaze. “All ya need to do is find me, I’ll take care of the rest. I promise. No one will find out about us. They’ll just think ya came to help me with the ranch…as a friend, that’s all. Ennis, I swear!”

And for the first time in his life, Ennis found something to believe in when he looked at the only person besides his Momma who’d ever gave a shit about him. And Ennis Del Mar reached out, grabbed Jack Twist by the back of his neck, pulled him forward into a lip bruising kiss and said “Yes!”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys share a little more than one last kiss before it's time for Jack to leave the mountain (and Ennis) behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of Boys of Summer. There is a completed sequel titled, A Change of Season, that will begin posting in a few days, followed by two time stamps that will post after that.
> 
> Thank you so much for spending time with me and these beautiful boys!!

They sat quietly together on a bluff overlooking the valley where the main camp was located. It was a time of day both enjoyed, not yet twilight but tranquil enough to forget the labors of the workday. As shadows began to slowly move across the sheep meadow, Jack suppressed a shiver and instinctively tightened his arms around the man reclining easily against his chest. This would be the last sunset they would share on this mountain, and although Jack had elicited a promise of a reunion at summer’s end from his lover, the thought of their imminent separation made him very uneasy. How many solitary sunsets would pass before they were reunited? And how would life in the “civilized world” affect the tenuous strands of the bond they had forged alone on this mountain, judged only by sheep, who cared not that they were two men falling in love?

Jack sighed and pressed his lips lightly into the side of Ennis’ neck, closing his eyes to better breathe in the scent that he associated with Ennis alone…horses, sweat, musk, and a certain elusive smell…one that reminded Jack of lazy afternoons lying in the tall grass of the meadow, limbs entwined sensuously together covered with the essence of their lovemaking. Duty to his mother’s family was forcing his early departure from the man in his embrace, and the promise of inheriting his uncle’s small but debt free ranch represented an unexpected shot at the freedom to forge a future with Ennis that Jack could never have envisioned just a few short weeks ago.

Jack was a dreamer for sure, but the harsh realities of his upbringing had forced him to keep his head out of the clouds and to hover closer to the ground for self-preservation purposes, and while excited at the opportunity to pursue a life with Ennis at his side, Jack knew the battle he was facing would be of epic proportions, fraught with pitfalls and set backs. He also knew that many of the roadblocks to his happiness with Ennis would come from his lover directly, and the demons that gnawed at Ennis’ soul on a daily basis. When Jack was with Ennis, he was able to keep the other man’s fears somewhat at bay, but Jack knew that as soon as he was out of constant contact with him, Ennis could revert to the closed off, introverted soul that Jack had met a few short months ago.

And yet, Ennis had promised to find Jack when the summer job on the mountain ended in September, and had given Jack the permission to prove to him that there was a future for them together in the real world, one that need not end in tragedy with one or both of them becoming the victim of a hate crime in a society that would refuse to accept their love at face value. Jack knew he had to cling to the hope that Ennis had laid out before him, that Ennis cared enough for him to at least give him that chance even though Ennis’ life had been a prime example of how young minds can be shaped to fear and loathe that which is deemed different and therefore should be reviled. 

As though sensing Jack’s chaotic thoughts, Ennis stirred in his arms, twisting around far enough to dislodge Jack’s lips from his neck, and instead capturing his mouth in a firm, yet gentle kiss. Jack felt a calmness begin to settle over his senses like a warm blanket as Ennis deepened the kiss, snaking his tongue out to tickle along Jack’s lower lip before thrusting it slowly inside as he moaned softly, the sound traveling directly to Jack’s cock, causing it to harden instantly. Jack sighed into Ennis’ open mouth, pulling Ennis’ tongue deeper into his mouth with a gentle sucking motion. This was the way it had been from the beginning between them, passion igniting at the simplest touch, neither of them willing or able to deny the high they found in each other’s body.

“Hell, who would want to deny anything that feels so fuckin’ good anyway?” Jack thought as he loosened his hold on Ennis slightly to fan his hands across Ennis’ chest, stroking slowly from sternum to abdomen in a random pattern, relishing in the feel of the hard masculine shape beneath his fingers. Ennis reached his arm behind himself to grasp the back of Jack’s neck, trapping their mouths together roughly. As their kisses increased in urgency, both men drew quick panting breaths into starving lungs, reluctant to break contact for more than a second at a time for a need as basic and ordinary as breathing.

As Jack’s hands moved downwards to caress Ennis’ denim encased cock, a growl sounded from deep within his chest, and as if in answer, Ennis suddenly flipped over onto his stomach and pushed Jack backwards onto the soft grass, humping and grinding his erection against whatever part of Jack he had landed on. Jack grunted as his back hit the ground and let out a breathless laugh as Ennis began to crawl up his body, mouth finding and latching on to Jack’s again, teeth clacking together as Ennis’ control appeared to desert him totally.

“Oh Shit!” Jack managed to mumble as the familiar euphoria began to overtake his sense of reason, and he clamped his hands onto Ennis’ ass as their bodies lined up perfectly, from forehead to toe, and he began to answer Ennis’ thrusts with some grinding of his own. Through the haze that was clouding Jack’s mind, a persistent thought managed to fight it’s way to the surface, that they were both still fully clothed and becoming more aroused by the second. As this thought crossed his mind, Jack also realized that the slight tingling in the pit of his stomach meant that his orgasm was closing in rapidly and he had no intention of spending his last night with Ennis coming in his jeans like a schoolboy.

“Ennis!” he hissed urgently, pushing the other man away, “Wait a minute…I’m gettin ’ too close… we need to get some clothes off first, boy!”

“Can’t wait Jack!” Ennis panted out and reached down to open Jack’s jeans impatiently, slapping Jack’s hands away as they tried to unbutton his shirt. Ennis straddled Jack’s hips as he ripped at his own zipper and Jack watched with lust filled eyes as Ennis’ cock sprang free, bobbing proudly against his stomach. Ennis quickly shucked his jeans and threw himself back down onto Jack’s torso, his dripping cock spreading slick between them as he rubbed against Jack’s own half exposed erection, the friction an erotic mix of pain and pleasure that only served to intensify their desire to reach a mutual fulfillment.

Ennis was alternating between claiming Jack’s mouth in bruising kisses and biting and sucking on Jack’s exposed neck and shoulders, making Jack’s head spin as he groaned and shuddered at the assault to his senses. Releasing his hold on Ennis’ ass, Jack grabbed onto the side of his jeans and swiftly pushed them down to his knees, catching his breath briefly before the next phase of Hurricane Ennis attacked. Reaching up he cupped Ennis’ face in the palm of his hand, and met a pair of stormy brown eyes, holding their gaze for several heartbeats. Jack wondered if his own were a reflection of his own mixed feelings. As they stilled and remained caught in the other’s glance, Jack caressed Ennis’ sweaty brow, pushing the unruly curls off Ennis’ forehead before gripping his hair tightly and pulling his head back roughly, exposing Ennis’ neck and adding a few marks of his own to his lover’s skin.

The spell broken, the force of their coupling again became frenzied, and this time they both were vying for control. As they rolled together on the meadow grass, Jack’s elbow connected with Ennis’ nose, causing him to cry out, and pull away from Jack at the sudden sharp pain. As he wiped his arm across his nose, he knew he must be bleeding by the stricken look on Jack’s face. Sure enough, the sleeve of his shirt was stained red, and he felt a warm gush begin to trickle from his nose to his mouth.

Jack was horrified at the sight of the blood dripping from his lover’s nose and reached up to staunch the flow with the sleeve of his own shirt, uncaring that his too was now stained with Ennis’ blood. For a split second, Jack saw fury pass across Ennis’ face, and briefly closed his eyes expecting that fury to explode into an act of violence. After several seconds of silence, Jack opened his eyes again in time to see Ennis’ hands reaching for him, not in anger, but in a gentle caress ghosting over his cheekbones and rubbing carefully over his lips. “Jack ya dumbass…ya don’t need to break my fuckin’ nose so I don’t forget ya!” And then he laughed, and for the first time since he knew he was going to have to leave Ennis behind, Jack truly felt that maybe things would work out after all.

Grabbing a rag from his saddlebag, Jack smiled back at Ennis, “Well, you’re the one who ran into my elbow with his nose, so I’m thinkin’ that makes you the dumbass, Ennis Del Mar! Here hold this up against your nose for a few minutes…I don’t think it’s broke, but your pretty face is gonna look like shit for a few days.” Ennis glared as he did what Jack told him, and after a short while, the bleeding had stopped and Ennis was once again leaning against Jack’s chest, this time watching the sun set over the peak of the higher mountains.

“I’m real sorry Ennis,” Jack said after a comfortable silence, his voice muffled in the back of Ennis’ neck where he began to nuzzle and nibble on the soft skin exposed there. “I can’t believe I fucked up our last night together by bein’ such a klutz.”

“I wouldn’t say ya fucked up the whole night, bud…maybe we can start up where we left off…night’s still young.” And Ennis turned his head and kissed Jack on the cheek, “At least this time we’re starting off with less clothes!” Ennis pushed his ass back against Jack’s lap and chuckled when he felt Jack’s cock jump to attention at the contact.

Quickly unbuttoning his soiled shirt, Ennis shrugged it off and turned to face Jack so he could do the same for him. Ennis rubbed his warm hands over Jack’s shoulders and down to his chest, pausing to tease each nipple to attention while Jack watched him with eyes half-closed, enjoying the touch of his lover. “Yeah Jack, I’m gonna miss ya, bud.” Ennis whispered as his hands glided lower, stroking Jack’s hips and thighs but for the moment avoiding Jack’s erect & slick coated member. “Ya gonna miss me Jack?” Ennis continued his caresses, again ignoring Jack’s cock, watching as the desire filled Jack’s eyes and seeing the way his tongue peeked out to lightly lick his lips. “Yeah Jack, you’re gonna miss me too. And every night when I wring it out up here all alone on this mountain, I’m gonna pretend it’s you stroking me, and when I shoot all over my hand, I’m gonna pretend it’s you that’s licking me clean. Yeah Jack, I’m gonna miss ya something awful.” As he finished speaking Ennis bent down and took Jack’s cock into his mouth, and Jack arched back in ecstasy, moaning as Ennis released all but the tip from his mouth, sliding his tongue into the slit to savor the pre-cum gathered there.

Moving up to lay on top of Jack, Ennis gave Jack’s cock a few strokes on the way, then raised his hand to his mouth and sucked on his fingers, eyes locked with Jack’s the whole time. Bending down to kiss Jack, Ennis thrust his hand between their joined mouths, and Jack sucked hungrily at Ennis’ fingers, moaning when Ennis removed them and raised himself up to insert two wet fingers into his own ass, riding them gently as he prepared himself to accept Jack’s fully erect penis.

“Jesus” Jack breathed when he realized Ennis’ intentions, “Hop on quick, boy, else I’m gonna explode right now!” And they groaned together as Ennis slid onto Jack’s cock slowly, Ennis bearing down until he felt the fullness he only found from riding Jack’s cock. “Stop!” Jack panted out, “Just stay still for one little minute…fuck!!” And Ennis stopped moving, his eyes closed and his head flung back, teeth biting down on his lower lip as he felt the gentle pulse of Jack’s cock inside of him.

“Okay!” Jack murmured as he bucked up into Ennis, eyes rolling back as he felt the tight hot muscles massaging his cock. Soon they had a smooth rhythm going, Ennis’ hands steadying himself on Jack’s chest as Jack steadily increased the speed and force of his thrusts. All too soon he felt his balls tightening and knew that his orgasm was fast approaching so he removed one of his hands from Ennis’s hips and began to stroke Ennis’ smooth and dripping cock in time to his thrusts. “Gonna shoot, Jack!” Ennis warned as white threads of spunk erupted from his cock splattering onto Jack’s stomach and chest, even as his own cock pulsed deep within Ennis, a cry of release escaping his lips as his seed unfurled deep within his lover.

As both men trembled, remaining locked in their intimate embrace, true twilight spread in an ever-widening blanket across the meadow, causing unfriendly shadows to encroach upon them, as though in warning. Eyes fastened firmly on each other, Jack and Ennis struggled to acknowledge the reality that come tomorrow, each would be leaving the other behind to face the gathering darkness alone.

“Jack,” Ennis whispered, as though afraid of being overheard, “I promise…no, I swear to ya…I will not forget ya…us…and I will come to ya when the seasons change.” A smile broke hesitantly across Jack’s face as he pulled Ennis down on top of his chest and then rolled them to the side, still facing each other. He knew this was as close to a commitment as he would be getting at this point, and that it would have to suffice. To push his man further, knowing he would not be there with him to quiet Ennis’ fears would be foolishness on his part…and while Jack might be a risk taker, a fool he was not.

So he stroked Ennis’ face gently, tangled their legs together, and joined their lips softly.  
As the sheep bleated their approval, and the stars began to twinkle in the night sky above, a peaceful feeling flowed between the entwined men. One last kiss…to confirm their devotion and to bind their fate. One last kiss..to say with their lips, what their voices could not yet declare.


End file.
